


Little Lost Pup

by Serriya (Keolah)



Series: For Order and Justice [1]
Category: Freelancer, Rifts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, Dimension Travel, Gen, Humanoid Animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-05-19
Updated: 2006-05-22
Packaged: 2017-12-09 02:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/769126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keolah/pseuds/Serriya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A wolfen Quattoria comes upon a young human girl who was created and raised by scientists, and never had a chance for a normal life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Nose for Trouble

This place wasn't any stranger than the Three Galaxies. If anything there were a hell of a lot fewer races running around and causing hell and you could at least expect to recognize _most_ of them once you figured out who was who. Sure there was the occasional newcomer who breezed through and shook the status quo a bit, but at least there were portals opening all the damn time leading to who knows where!

Sharra, in the few days she'd lurked within the corridors of Epsilon Station, had learned a great deal about the various people... and found the occasional sudden flurry of panic from one of the rabbitfolk to be vastly amusing. She couldn't blame them, not really, not when she was well over seven feet tall and bore a distinctive predatory mark. Wolfen were much as their name might suggest, but there was more there as well.

Quattoria was the other half of her designation, and she sometimes had a good chuckle at the stereotypical image they projected wherever they went. Comfortable leather clothing, a light ballistic armor vest as part of the uniform, and a trench coat that concealed her weapons as well as the bulk of her form. Not that it was anything to be ashamed of or hide, the fur covering was complete after all, but it was tradition.

That fur had long been fake, however, a cosmetic vanity to cover the complete bionic replacement of the body beneath except for minor parts. Came in damned handy with all the special modifications when the shit had really hit the fan in the past... Only the badge she had worn until recently was missing, tucked discreetly away as she had no authority, imagined or otherwise, outside of the Three Galaxies.

She walked with a light, confident stride, passing the docking bays and considering the ships within thoughtfully for a long moment before continuing onward. Soon enough she'd find out what else was out there, soon enough.

Coming out from one of the corridors in a rush down toward one of the docking bays nearby came a group of Cybions, easily identified by their unashamed and obvious modifications, carting various equipment.

"Come on, get moving, oh this won't do at all," said one of them at the end, bearing a datapad and peering about with his eye-implant.

Sharra's mouth twitched a faint grin, not having quite the hypocritical streak to denigrate the Cybions' fondness for mechanical amplification. She sure as hell wouldn't be what she was if she did! Golden eyes study them momentarily in a peace officer's instinctive assessing glance, and her ears flickered of their own accord at the seeming haste. Now why would that be? She moved aside politely, though.

She overheard one of them say to another, "Go get the girl. Bring her to the ship." The one addressed gave a nod and headed off down a side corridor as the Cybions continued on their way.

Curiosity had always been a curse, probably what put Sharra where she was in the first place, and the sharp and curt application as well as any lack of identifier for the target in question... curious indeed... Cybernetic claws snicked faintly from their sheathes and then back as she thought about it a moment, then fall silent as she shrugged and moved to follow the one sent off on the mysterious errand as discreetly as possible.

She'd learned to listen to her instincts, and something just smelled wrong here. Not sure what, or even if she had any business poking her muzzle into it, but... what the hell.

Down along the corridor, in a block of living quarters in the station, the Cybion stops at one of the doors and rings the buzzer. A girl came and answered the door. She had dark hair and gray eyes and was tall for a thirteen year old, having apparently hit a growth spurt in the last few months.

"Come on, girl, pack your things, we're heading out," he said to her.

Sharra parked herself against a wall down the corridor, folding her arms and yawning broadly to add to the image. Just passing through, taking a bit of a breather, nothing of interest here... golden eyes narrowed in semblance of drowsiness, and only someone familiar with the subtleties of canids would recognize it all as a lie by the alert tilt of her ears as she waited and listened with bionically-enhanced systems.

The girl replies, "My name is Zillah, not _girl_. And where are we going in such a hurry? Did another wave of insane mutants from outer space show up and start trying to sacrifice everyone?"

The man sighed and pushed past her into her room and proceeded to dig around through her things himself and pack away any equipment that was too conspicuous to leave behind.

Well now that was just plain odd, Sharra mused. Not only did they seem to be in a hurry to get the child away but she didn't seem all that inclined to be fully cooperative either. She pushed casually away from the wall -- now that the Cybion had gone inside and out of direct vision range the charade wasn't really important -- and stalked quietly nearer.

Zillah stood in the doorway peering in indignantly at him. "What are you doing? This is my room... what do you want with those data pads?"

The Cybion, having collected data pads and other assorted small equipment, came back to the door and grabbed her by the arm. "Come on, girl, we've gotta go." She wrenched away from him.

That little display was good enough, the hackles rising at Sharra's ruff in response to the covering's detection of a surge of anger. "I don't think you want to do that," she said casually, stepping into the center of the corridor and clearly into the Cybion's path. "Kidnapping's illegal pretty damn near anywhere I've ever been, and you might want to rethink the idea."

The Cybion glared at her with a bit of a snarl and said, "Stay out of this. This is not your business." He turned to Zillah again and said firmly, "Experiment 12-Z, you _will_ come with me." Zillah took a step back, staring wide-eyed at him.

Sharra's eyes narrowed, studying the smaller man on a variety of levels with internal sensors... Definitely modified, but she didn't think it was going to make nearly the difference that arrogant dismissal assumed. She didn't move, other than to turn that gaze to the girl.

"Your call, Zillah," she said softly, "Are you an experiment or your own person?"

Zillah said to the Cybion, "You might have been able to boss me around when I was younger, but I'm not a toddler anymore to listen to you without an explanation. If you're so keen on dragging me off, Dick, you'd better come up with a damned good reason for it, and fast."

It might sound like she'd turned vulgar all of a sudden, but as it turned out, the guy's name _was_ Richard. She knew him, that much was clear, but what did that mean? Family? Something else? Sharra remained firmly in place and waited for his answer, quirking a brow ridge in question, and ready to move at a moment's notice.

Dick said impatiently, "Zillah, we don't have time for this. We need to be gone from here and on a transport heading out within the hour. The Empire's moving in to bring Epsilon Station under its jurisdiction within the next day. New leadership or no, they _won't_ like some of our projects and will shut them down if they can."

Now wasn't _that_ little tidbit interesting? Sharra wondered just what the Cybions might be up to that would be so repugnant to the Empire... word on the docks was that people were either ambivalent or glad about it. Apparently this regime change was a lot more welcome than the one that had come before it. So just what... hmm. Something to look into sometime, but she merely listened for now before making the decision to intervene.

Zillah said, "Well I'll have no more part in your experiments on humans and treating people like property. I am a _person_ , not an experiment." She grabbed the bag with her stuff from his hand and stormed back into her room.

That was certainly _more_ than enough, Sharra decided firmly, a low growl emerging as she stalked toward the man, "I think it's time for you to go. _Now_."

She didn't escalate the situation by drawing or displaying any of the multitude of weapons she carried or had installed, relying on good old-fashioned height and presence for intimidation.

Richard, quite irritated, glared at Zillah, and at Sharra, then turned on his heel and headed back down the corridor toward the docking bay to report to his superior. Zillah sighed and looked at the things he had grabbed, putting them back where they were supposed to be. Sharra watched the Cybion depart through narrowed eyes, remaining watchful until he rounded a corner and vanished from sight.

"Hmm," she murmured, ears flickering for a moment, and then turned back and walked to the open doorway. She didn't enter, not without permission, instead propping herself against the frame with a gentler expression. "You okay?" she asked softly.

Zillah sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. At least he didn't break anything." She finished putting the items away and tossed the bag into a corner. "Thanks for standing up for me. Few enough people have around here..."

Sharra chuckled lightly. "Hey, that's what I do, part of the job. I have to wonder what was going on, though, and where your parents are. Can't imagine anyone leaving a little girl to fend for herself..."

Any galaxy was a dangerous place, damn if she didn't know that, and the thought of it was enough to bring an instinctive rise of her hackles again which she deliberately smoothed.

"Oh, my mother died hundreds of years ago. And my father got sacrificed to the dark gods, came back to life, traveled through time with my sister, changed the past, and is now off somewhere in the fringe worlds doing something or other." She said it so casually that one would expect these were everyday occurrences.

Sharra blinked once at that, her own experience not requiring the verification from sensor mods that the girl was telling the truth, then flicked a glance in the direction the Cybion had vanished.

"Why are they so keen on getting you to go with them, then?" Sharra asked, indicating the direction with a jerk of her muzzle and then turning her full attention back to Zillah.

Zillah moved over back toward her, glancing nervously out into the corridor, and said, "Do come in. At least I can seal the door if he tries to come back with backup."

Sharra nodded, offering a reassuring smile as she moved silently within. "I didn't think that would be the last of them, but I could hope."

She took a moment to run internal diagnostics and check the more conventional weaponry she carried with her. Hmm, wouldn't do to put any holes in the station, that'd be bad for the girl's health and probably spark a bit of anger from authorities. Up close and personal it would be, then.

"What do they want from you?" Sharra prodded gently, settling into a comfortable crouch facing the door and well within leaping distance.

Zillah made sure the door was locked from the inside and took a seat. "I am, apparently, the twenty-sixth creation of this particular line of genetics. They think I'm their 'perfect being' they've been trying to create for centuries or some such." She snorted softly. "And most of my sisters are dead now because of their cruelty and heartlessness, many of them insane or deformed because of it."

Sharra's lip curled in a faint snarl, slavery being one of the biggest and most hated things on her list and this sounded like it was in the same ballpark... with a few sadistic twists added to it. She deliberately eased the momentary tension, focusing back on the girl.

"Who's looking out for you, child?" Sharra asked. "Is there anywhere that you can go?"

Zillah snorted softly and said, "The Cybions, technically. And no, not really."

Sharra turned a sharp glance in the direction of the door, the approach these Cybions had taken as well as their clear disregard for life they'd already displayed stirring anger. She thought about it, turning to look back at Zillah for a long moment and weighing logic versus the instinctive decision she wanted to make.

"How long would it take you to pack?" she asked softly, not really having to think that hard about it.

"Not too long I guess," Zillah replied uncertainly, sighing and glancing back at the bag she'd tossed in the corner.

"Well," Sharra remarked, examining her own reasoning carefully, "The way I see it, you can either stay here and wait for them to come back, and I can pretty well guarantee that scum like that _will_ be back, or..." Her ears tilted forward, her gaze intent on Zillah as she continued, "You can come with me and I can keep an eye out on you for a bit." She knew some of that was instinctive, but damnit the logic was there too!

Zillah sighed again. "I don't think they'll try to force their way in -- the station overseers wouldn't stand for it -- but I doubt they'll be dissuaded that easily." She stood up and proceeded to grab the bag she'd dropped again.

Sharra chuckled softly. "Don't you worry about that, child, I can help dissuade them a bit along the way. Trust me."

She didn't know what Zillah had already seen and experienced, the matter-of-fact response of earlier suggesting more than was right for a young girl... but she could at least get her out of harm's way when the blood and hydraulic fluid began to flow.

"Alright," Zillah said, going to fill up her bag with much of the stuff that had been taken out of it minutes before.

Sharra had taken a visitor's quarters on the other side of the station when she'd arrived. It wasn't that she needed to sleep or even had much that she carried with her, but it was old habit to have a place to retire to at the end of the 'day', regardless of how long that day was. It would serve for now, at least until she figured out what to do next, which would largely depend on the Cybion response.

Zillah took the items because the Cybions clearly wanted them and she wasn't going to let them have their way if she could help it. But she also, unlike that fool man, did not forget about such things as underwear. Practical girl, Sharra mused approvingly, watching as Zillah gathered and packed the things she wanted to bring along.

"Things may get a bit scary along the way," she said quietly, "But don't worry about it, they won't be taking you anywhere you don't want to go."

"I'm not worried," Zillah said, slinging the pack over her back. "I've been trained in combat and psionics."

Sharra just looked at Zillah at that, her ears tilting back at the though of what that casual revelation meant. Oh yes, she was going to look forward to making sure the Cybions didn't get their hands on this little girl again... She snorted quietly, then tilted her head in question, "Ready to go?"

Zillah gave a nod, glancing briefly at the room for a moment and not thinking of anything else she might need. "Let's go, then, before they come back."

Sharra merely nodded in reply, strangling the urge to reach out and tousle the girl's hair and grinning faintly at the thought. "Let's go then," she said, opening the door and taking a careful look out, prepared to take the lead on the journey and a flickering nimbus of light which emerged around her giving evidence that she wasn't betting on it being peaceful.

Down the hall, from the direction of the docking bay, several Cybions were seen approaching. "Hey! Where are you going!" called one of them. They drew weapons.

"Stay back," Sharra said in a quiet aside to Zillah, then stepped out into the hall to walk toward the Cybions with narrowed eyes. "You don't want to do this," she warned them, though she drew no weapons of her own. "If you've got sensors anywhere near as good as my own, you can tell what I am and what a piss-poor decision that would be." Might as well try it easy, if they decided to play hardball then it was on their own heads.

"You stay out of this," barked one of the Cybions, not Dick this time. "We are only here to reclaim our property."

"Property?" Sharra snarled as she continued to stalk toward them. "You're talking a little girl, not some piece of meat you scumbag, you'd do well to remember that."

A twist of her wrists snapped a tri-point of eighteen-inch blades from between the knuckles of her fists, shredding the syntheskin, and a low hum could be heard as power flowed through them. If they wanted to play hard, they'd just cleared her conscience about taking prisoners.

They raised their weapons and opened fire, intent on removing this interference from their attempt to regain control of the girl. However, they were all suffering from storm trooper syndrome and primarily hit the walls, floor, and ceiling.

"Bad call," Sharra snarled, leaping at them to bring the vibro-claws into play with the speed and reflexes born of the full cyborg.

These stubborn Cybions were quite willing to risk their lives for their precious creation, but their combat ability didn't really match up to her. Death Dancers they were not.

Sharra was in no mood for prisoners, and she asked nor gave quarter in the battle... and unlike the Cybions, she _was_ quite skilled in the weapons she used. A bitter legacy which the Three Galaxies had given her, but one that she was fully willing to accept and use when it was needed.

The Cybions refused to flee or back down, but they didn't even manage to hurt her before being cut down. Behind her, Zillah was standing in the doorway, looking out wide-eyed around the door frame at the ensuing confrontation.

Sharra flicks her wrist, retracting the blades which were already gore-free due to their nature, and looked around for a moment. She winced, seeing Zillah standing there, not having wanted her to see this... she shook her head.

"Go back inside a moment, child, please."

The bodies would have to be dumped in the nearest recycler. The few minutes it would take were well worth the problems it would minimize later.

"I'm not a child," Zillah murmured. "I'm thirteen." She made no move to budge from where she was standing.

Sharra's ears flattened at that, a pained expression emerging... thirteen years, by the gods... "Stay there, then. I have to take care of this," she said, and turned to the task at hand, grabbing each corpse by the neck in one hand and lifting them free of the ground before stalking in the direction of the nearest likely place to hide, or destroy, the bodies.

The station had ample openings for chutes to garbage incinerators. Having been built and inhabited by rogues, rebels, and pirates for centuries, convenience of disposing of bodies was a high consideration.

Sharra chuckles to herself, making note of the design philosophy and comparing it to any number of other roguish dens she'd visited along the way. It was all to their benefit now, and she dumped the bodies in a chute before heading back.

"Come on, Zillah," she said gently, putting herself between the girl and the worst view of the blood splattered as she can, "Let's get out of here."

Zillah nodded, and headed along quietly after her down the hallway, not even bothering to look back at the scene or her quarters.


	2. Start of a New Path

Sharra led the way, her gaze shifting in concern to the girl now and then but for the most part paying close attention for any signs that there might be others inclined to interfere along the way. She gritted her teeth against what she'd had to do and let Zillah see, but she really hadn't had much choice when they decided to open fire and endanger them all.

If she had bothered to look, their weapons were set high enough that a direct hit would probably have killed most people, even a Cybion. But fortunately they didn't know how to use them. Zillah seemed perfectly calm and quiet. Nobody paid them too much attention at the moment.

The sheer disregard for life -- it wasn't an uncommon thing, unfortunately, and what the wolfen race had designed the Quattoria to counter. Still. Sharra sighed softly and touched Zillah's shoulder, turning her down another corridor.

"Almost there, then we should be nice and safe for a while," Sharra said.

No one harassed them any further before they get there. When she reached her quarters, a little light on one of the terminals indicated that she had new messages waiting for her when she arrived.

Sharra made sure Zillah's settled in and the door was secured, taking a minute to take a device out of her pocket and set it in contact with the wall next to the door and making sure it's activated. Anyone who broke in would get one hell of a surprise, she smirked, then went to check the messages.

"Make yourself at home," she said. "I don't need the bed, so it's all yours."

Zillah put her bag down and took a seat and relaxed some, glancing over toward her.

There was one message, from station security. It read: "We have noted the unfortunate deaths of five Cybions in Habitation Section 41-B and determined that you had acted entirely in self-defense. No disciplinary action will be brought up against you. Thank you for disposing of the bodies. -- Martin Waters, Epsilon Station Security Officer."

Sharra chuckled at the message, tossing off a salute to whoever had sent it in honor of their efficiency and quick assessment of the situation. At least it looked like the Cybions were the only real threat at the moment.

That done, she turned back and offered Zillah a smile. "Okay, I know things went kind of fast back there, and I'm sure you've got a lot of questions just like I do. What say we catch up a bit, hmm?"

"Okay," Zillah said, making herself comfortable and leaning back a bit, but then pondered and then went and replicates herself something to drink, before coming and sitting down again.

"I never did properly introduce myself," Sharra said, the smile remaining as she padded silently over and crouched nearby to extend a paw-hand to shake. "My name's Sharra Silverhair." She chuckled. "Though the name's kind of misleading anymore. Decided not to keep the silver streak in my fur when I got the synthiflesh."

"My name is Zillah Jordan," the girl said, shaking her hand.

Sharra nodded, thinking about how to approach things for a second and deciding definitely not to mention what the girl had already seen. There were just some things... her ears flickered to dismiss the turn of thought, and her head tilted as she studied Zillah.

"Was there any special reason they'd want those datapads, or was that just a case of trying to get you packed up to go?"

"I don't know," Zillah said. "Training journals. Genetic information. Science fiction. I don't really know why they'd want my copy of 'Starship Troopers' so badly."

Sharra chuckled. "Well, that's something to take a look through later after we get you all settled in with some food and a bit of rest. Okay, I asked one, you have anything you want to ask me?"

The child was clearly far ahead of where a normal thirteen year old would generally be in a number of ways, but there were still hints of the little girl inside that brought a glimmer of a smile.

"Are you a Cybion too?" Zillah wondered, looking over at her from across her cup.

"No, I'm no Cybion," Sharra replied. "Though some of what they do I'm quite familiar with. I'm from somewhere else entirely, and when my people needed something to help keep the peace there..." she shrugged, "wolfen like me volunteered. Yes, I've got a lot of cybernetics and bionics, I'm a full-conversion cyborg, which means I'm almost all metal."

"Oh," Zillah said. "Was there something wrong with your biological parts?"

Sharra smiled and shook her head. "No, nothing at all, even though wolfen only tend to live around a hundred years max even with the medical technology available. It was just a case of..." she trailed off, trying to think how to put it, then explained, "Sometimes you have to sacrifice something for a greater good. I did it to help people out, just like I did earlier."

"Oh," Zillah said, not really understanding. "Where are you from, then?"

"A place called the Three Galaxies," Sharra said. "Pretty much like anywhere you go, there's good people and bad people, places that shine like jewels in the night and then stations more like this where all sorts hang out. The Quattoria patrol all of it, acting as police forces where we're needed and helping out where we can."

"What's a Quattoria?" Zillah wondered. She emptied her cup of colored sugar-water and shoved the cup into a disposal slot again.

"Wolfen like me," Sharra replied, chuckling, "You didn't think I'd be the only one crazy enough to do something like this, did you? No, the Quattoria are an organization composed entirely of cyborgs like myself, and they have jurisdiction in any part of the Three Galaxies to deal with whatever troublemakers might be around. Hard work, but the benefits are worth it," she finished softly, smiling.

"Oh, I see," she said thoughtfully. She put her arms around her knees and stared off pensively, wondering whether she wanted to replicate a pizza or a cheeseburger.

Sharra studied Zillah for a moment, then tilted her head. "So when was the last time you ate or slept, hmm? I can't imagine having such rude visitors did much for your schedule."

"Oh... I last ate at 02:30 this morning. I last slept 6.3 days ago."

"Don't sleep much, huh?" Sharra grinned. "That's alright, I don't sleep at all, so we shouldn't be getting into each other's way much when it comes to lights-out. How often do you require food, though, especially as you're still growing?"

"Daily, minimally," Zillah replied. "As I do not possess an internal power generator, my high metabolism requires a steady caloric intake to offset that used by my cybernetic and genetic enhancements."

Sharra snorted. "Minimally? Dear girl, we're going to be in here at least a few days until things calm down a bit, I expect you to eat a bit more than the minimum daily requirements!"

She hid her reaction to the mention of cybernetics... at thirteen? There was a grim certainty that she was not going to like these Cybions much after all, and would have to find a place where Zillah would be safe...

"Well, yes," Zillah said. "Optimally, at least twenty thousand calories per day, ideally spread out over several hours." One might start to think for a moment that she was just a thirteen year old girl, then she spouted off a string of technobabble.

Sharra wasn't put off or even particularly surprised by it, and she just smiled as she jerked a thumb in the direction of the replicator. "Get yourself some food then, and then we can start thinking about where to go from here."

"Okay," she said, and proceeded to replicate a large stuffed crust pizza with pepperoni, olives, pineapple, peppers, and extra cheese.

Sharra smiled, watching the girl thoughtfully as she got her food and settled back in. "So, do you have any real family anywhere? Ones that you can trust and don't have anything to do with these Cybions?" That solution would be ideal, but there were other options should what she had begun to assume was true.

"They're all technically Cybions by nature since we were all genetically altered," Zillah said. "But they don't generally do the alterations themselves. Three of my sisters, my father, and my grandmother are still alive. I don't know where any of them are, though."

Sharra nodded thoughtfully. "I see, and I really don't think that getting you back into the hands of the Cybion population as a whole would be a good idea." Damned _bad_ idea in fact, and one that she'd fight tooth and claw against! "This Empire, though, what I've heard about it sounds fairly promising, and I'm sure we could find you someplace safe with them."

"The new ruler of the Empire is the Empress Talia," Zillah said over bites of her pizza. "She's a friend of my grandmother. She used to work for the Rebellion, too."

"Empress Talia, hmm?" Sharra mused. "Friend of the family wouldn't be a bad choice, I'd think, and with the kinds of connections and power base that implies it'd probably be a lot safer for you than anywhere else. Now _getting_ to her might be a bit of a problem, but one step at a time." Her attention focused sharply on Zillah. "It's your choice, though, I'm not like the others. Does that sound good to you, or somewhere else?"

"Perhaps." She thought for a moment. "My sister Felicia was here recently, recovering from a bad experience with Chaos, but she's since left as well. Didn't say where she was going. I haven't seen Jenna in months. And Emily ... Emily's just creepy."

Sharra chuckled. "Well, there's another bright point for heading to this friend of the family, she should have the resources available to help you locate the others if you really want to."

"Emily was never really right in the head. They said she was a failure..." She shoved a piece of crust in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

"I'd take anything 'they' said with a grain of salt, little one," Sharra replied gently. "Not saying that everything they may have told you is wrong or even skewed to their own perspective, but you're going to have to think about it very carefully considering the kinds of things both they and you mentioned them being into."

"I've seen her, though. She always had this look in her eyes, and she'd painted her ship with fresh human blood..."

Sharra winced. "That's not a good example to think of or a template to follow. You're a bright girl, though," she smiled, "You'll figure out what was fact and fiction soon enough on your own or with a bit of help."

"They didn't want me to find out what happened to my other sisters. The other 'failures'. They never told me that there had been twenty-two others who are dead or missing. But I found the records of them... I found out what happened, what they'd done..."

"Oh child..." Sharra replied mournfully, reaching to gently caress Zillah's cheek with the back of a furred hand. "You are far beyond your years, sure enough, but there's still some things you shouldn't ever have known or seen while so terribly young."

Zillah wiped off a hand and reached into her bag and pulled out one of the data pads and handed it to her. It listed the names of each of the other "experiments" in the Jordan line, what happened with them, and speculation as to what might have gone wrong.

Sharra took the pad and looked at it, drawing her own conclusions as to the nature of this 'experiment' and finding a molten core of anger rising regarding the Cybions. How _dare_ they? How could they turn something as valuable and precious as life, as innocence, and reduce it to nothing more than this?

"Never again," she said softly, looking back to Zillah, "Not if I can keep you away from it, I promise."

Zillah took another slice of pizza and started eating. "I don't want to be... another failure." She sighed.

"Shh, don't even think about that," Sharra replied gently. "There's a lot of power in the way you see yourself, you know. Letting worry gnaw at you is a bad idea, it's much better to think in terms of possibilities and things that _could_ be, of dreams, all the things you _should_ be thinking about at your age instead of..." she waved the datapad, then tossed it aside, "things like this that just don't matter."

"They think I'm perfect. They think they've finally achieved their 'perfect specimen'. They called me a 'specimen'. To my face, even."

"You're no specimen," Sharra replied, the smile returning. "You're a perfectly beautiful young girl, and anything else that they might have thought about it is clearly just more of the trash they seemed intent on spouting."

The poor child, to have been put under that kind of expectation and strain... siblings killed and known, a specimen... She sighed inwardly.

"What about school? What about my training?" she wondered. "They'll expect me down at the practice hall at 08:00 tomorrow..."

"You'll catch up soon enough once we get you settled in safely," Sharra said. "I'll see what I can do about arranging travel to the Empire in a couple days, you just need to sit tight and relax until then."

Putting her back where she'd be 'expected' would be an exceedingly dangerous thing to do, besides which who could tell what sort of programming they were trying to inflict on the girl!

"Maybe we can get a ship..." Zillah pondered aloud. "I can pilot several types of fighter ships...."

"I doubt I have the resources for that," Sharra chuckled. "But I'll certainly keep an open mind when I go to take a look. Sounds like you enjoy flying, though, hmm?"

"I particularly like the Darknova class of fighter," Zillah said. "It combines speed and stealth with an adequate firepower for most purposes."

Sharra settled back on her haunches and smiled. "But is it _fun_ to fly? I've piloted a few craft in my time, too, and there's nothing I've found better than being able to soar without boundaries, nothing to trouble or touch you, the sky not even the limit."

Zillah grinned and said. "Oh, yes, certainly. It may not be as fast or maneuverable as the Whistler, but that's a one-seater and awfully cramped, and lacks interstellar capabilities."

Oh, a spark of life and energy, it was like the sun breaking through the clouds! Sharra grinned as well. "Sounds like this Whistler is just the thing to take on an afternoon's joyride, though, which is just the thing when you want to have a bit of fun."

"Heh, well, yeah." Zillah had eaten half of the pizza by now. She probably did not particularly mind meeting her caloric requirements.

Sharra chuckled and rose slowly, padding over to remove her long coat and throw it across the back of a chair. She looked down at herself self-consciously and removed the gunbelt which had two pistols snugged into it, then the short-barrelled energy rifle slung under one arm. A few other weapons concealed by the coat follow, which she placed in the chair and then covered with the coat.

"Well, I'll see what I can do about a ship when things are a little less likely to be hopping," she said, turning back. "And failing all else I'm sure this Empress will have any number of craft that're just waiting for eager young hands to fly them."

"So was there anything else you wanted to ask me?" Zillah said, reaching for yet another slice of pizza.

"Nothing that strikes me as blazingly important just now," Sharra replied. "It's enough for me that you didn't want to go with the Cybions and there's a place where I can get you to safety. Other than that..." she grinned and shrugged, "What you want to tell me is up to you. I warn you, though, that I've been accused of being a good listener and you might find yourself blabbing endlessly for no apparent reason."

Zillah smirked faintly and said, "Well, I'm sure there's a lot that I _could_ say, but I doubt you would want to listen to me blabbing endlessly for no apparent reason about the interesting-looking fungus I saw in the arboretum yesterday."

Sharra smiled and shook her head once, returning to an easy crouch nearby. "You might be surprised, little one, not all adults are so disinclined to listen to the things that the young find interesting. It's refreshing sometimes, just to see the different perspective. But then..." she tilted her head, "You've probably never seen that before, have you? Always what 'they' wanted, I'm sure."

"It was a Hamilton spotted mushroom. I looked it up in the species directory," Zillah replied. "They... Well, I've been on Epsilon Station for most of my life. Although they did take me to Balzac and places on occasion..."

"Well, we'll be getting you to a planet soon enough," Sharra replied firmly. "You'll get to see and enjoy all the things that you _should_ at your age, that my own pups did long ago. There should be flowers and sunshine, wind to ripple through your hair, the simple joy of rain falling from the skies... That's what you need child," her voice softened, "To experience life to its fullest, not have your destiny measured and controlled."

Zillah ate her pizza quietly, thinking that it was always one person or another wanting to tell her what she should do and what she needed, and generally thinking that it was for her own good. She wondered absently how many credits she did have in her name.

Sharra smiled ruefully, recognizing the silence that came in reply. "Listen to me," she said, "I'm getting long of tooth and not even the gray coat to accompany it. Eat and rest as you need, Zillah, time enough for you to decide your future when you're safe." She rose and walked over to double check the security device, then perches against a wall in thought.

"Alright," Zillah murmured, finishing up her pizza and going to dispose of the plate and wash her hands off.

Time passed slowly, though Sharra did try now and again to draw Zillah out and keep her talking when possible... it infuriated her the signs she could read in what the girl had been denied in life, and had no idea what she was missing. Were it possible it would be enough to make her weep, but instead it hardened her further against these Cybion monsters. A couple days passed unremarked, a good sign from all counts in her opinion.

The third day was good enough to set about the task she'd set for herself, and Sharra settled all her equipment with casual familiarity in preparation. She wasn't sure whether it would be better to leave the girl here or bring her along, logic and instinct warring over the idea and the pitfalls to both, but...

"I'm going to see about that travel," Sharra said, head tilting in question, "Stay here or come along? Your choice."

In the intervening time, the more paranoid Cybions had moved out and the Empire had moved in. They'd pretty much left well enough alone for the most part, not really interfering much with the inhabitants of the station, but putting in their own officers and guards and ensuring that people follow Imperial law in general.

"I'll stay here, I think," Zillah said quietly, replicating herself another carbonated beverage.

"Okay," Sharra replied, gesturing to the box near the door, then showing how it worked. "Turn it off like so, activate like so. Turn it on when I leave, and anyone who tries to get in will gate a facefull of plasma fire, I'll be sure to knock."

She chuckled, then slipped out to head for the landing bay to see what could be arranged. Zillah nodded and did as instructed.

Aside from the occasional guard patrol wearing Imperial uniforms, the station looked much as it did before their arrival. They didn't seem inclined to bother her at the moment, nodding her by without a second thought.

Seeing an organized force on the station was a pleasant change, particularly as that meant the Cybions were probably long gone... or in hiding and waiting for her to leave the girl alone. That thought worried her and she quickened her pace, the soonest done the best.

The docking bay was a-buzz with mechanics, merchants, pilots, and workings hauling one thing or another to and from the ships and into the station. Various freighters, fighters, scout ships, were arranged around the place.

Sharra went to check it out a bit, keeping an eye out for shipmasters to inquire about travel costs or... if at all possible, the acquisition of one of the Darknovas. She had no idea what that might cost here, or what might be traded or bargained for, but it was worth the look.

There didn't appear to be any "For Sale" signs up around, but that probably didn't mean too much. Some did offer transport to wherever they might be going. Although this was only one of many docking bays, perhaps someone had a Darknova for sale in one of them. There was a handy terminal with such information for people wanting to buy and sell things.

Well gee, what an awe-inspiring and completely unprecedented idea, Sharra smirked, then went to check out the terminal to see what people were offering as well as what the station records might have to say about things which might be brought to bear in trade or sale.

There were, indeed, several Darknovas for sale on board the station, many of them older models which their owners wanted to sell off in order to help pay for upgrading to a newer model, those going for much cheaper than the new models, which were in high demand.

Sharra stored the list of older models for consideration, the likelihood of acquiring one considerably better than the more recent designs, and headed off to start checking them out. She was no fool when it comes to the scams that con artists will generally ply when selling spacecraft, and will certainly check for signs that the ships were indeed suitable to the purpose rather than ready to disintegrate at a moment's notice.

The closest one was in the docking bay two levels up. It was an older model indeed, and looked to have seen quite a bit of action lately, probably holding itself together with duct tape for all the patch-ups and repairs that had been made on it.

That one was likely a wise decision to bypass, Sharra mused dryly, continuing to the next in the list. Appearances could be deceiving, but there were definite signs to be looked for such as basic cleanliness which signalled a conscientious crew and basic maintenance routines, a fresh paint job would be something to be very, very leery of as that was a common tactic to turn the eye away from more dire problems.

The next ship was amazingly even worse. Which was probably why it was priced so cheaply and a hand-painted sign was hanging outside it. It was unattended, but apparently nobody was afraid of anyone wanting to steal _that_ thing.

The third one, though, was pretty middling and mediocre, about what one would expect of a used spaceship.

Right. Sharra wouldn't trust her own life to the second ship, much less that of the child! The third was a definite possibility if nothing else presented itself, and she took a moment to inquire as to what the owner might wish for it before continuing on her inspection.

It was a fairly reasonable price, if not a particularly good one. Of the next few ships, they ranged from poor to fair condition, but the fifth one was almost new, the model just before the current model, and still in excellent condition.

The last would be her preference, naturally, and Sharra approached the owner with cautious interest to inquire after it as she had each one which had met her careful scrutiny.

A man with one cybernetic eye poked his head out to greet her. "Hello there! Are you here to look at the ship? I was just doing a thorough maintenance run before sending the old girl off to her new master, whoever that may be."

Oh, Sharra liked this prospect all the more at that, and she offered a carefully controlled smile which showed no teeth... humans were notoriously uneasy about full smiles, for some odd reason.

"Actually yes," she replied, "I would be interested in taking a look and seeing if your ship is still available..." She cocked an ear at the last, in obvious question.

"Certainly, certainly, be my guest. She's got quite a few lightyears on her, but she still purrs like a kitten when you fly her. She's got a few nonstandard upgrades as well..."

"Oh?" Sharra inquired with interest, moving to board and taking note of the effect her deceptively lean frame and its heavy metallic weight makes as she did so, if any. The fellow seemed earnest and enthusiastic enough, perhaps a pilot who truly enjoyed his trade... that would be a good sign indeed.

The Darknova was quite sturdy and the cockpit plenty roomy as the man proceeded to show her around the ship and detail the upgrades and specifications. "She's quite the beaut. I'll be sad to see her go."

"Why are you looking to sell her off, then?" Sharra asked, perhaps the allure of the newer craft had caught his eye but that seemed strange for someone who clearly enjoyed his ship.

"Well, I'm looking to buy me a brand-new Whistler. I don't need all this room for myself anymore, and the latest model of the Whistler, just put out on the market, has interstellar capabilities, unprecedented in a ship so small!"

"Oh, that does sound like it would be a wonderful ship to have!" Sharra agreed readily, grinning. "I've heard a little bit about the Whistler from a friend of mine, and the only complaint they had was the lack which the new one sounds to correct. Hmm..." She looked around thoughtfully, then back to him. "Alright, I like what I see, now for the shoe to drop," she grinned again, "What do you want for her?"

He named the price. It was about half of what one would expect to pay from a new ship of this type.

Sharra nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, I'm going to see what I can do to meet that in the next couple hours. Not going to hold you to anything or waste your time, though, so if you don't hear from me by the end of this day shift then, well..." she smiled and shrugged apologetically, "I'll do my best, have to see what I can get for some of the things I brought with me."

He smiled at her and said, "Good luck with that, I'll probably have the maintenance checks and all done by then and all ready for flying."

"Thank you," Sharra replied warmly, then offered a crisp nod and strode out of the ship to see about doing that. She really had no idea what might present itself as options regarding finances, but she headed for one of the station terminals to scour through for ideas.

There were all sorts of items being offered for buying and selling on this descendent of eBay, apparently. Everything from weapons, jewelry, raw minerals, crystals, mining equipment, there were even a few listings for items from other universes such as bags of holding and such.

Out of mild curiosity, considering the direct universal reference in the database, Sharra checked as to the existence of some sort of currency exchange, whether a consortium owned by the station or shadier middlemen of some sort. She had a considerable stash of the unicreds from back in the Three Galaxies, which were useable in some of their client or sister dimensions, so perhaps...

There was, indeed, a currency exchange office aboard the station, and it listed a fairly lengthy assortment of currencies that it would exchange to and from. Of course, the legitimacy of some of these was in question considering the ease at replicating the flimsy paper money used by some universes, but for those based off more advanced materials or heavier metals it should be reasonably balanced.

Hmm, well, the credmarks were supposed to be hackproof, at least in theory, so it'd be worth checking into. She rummaged in a coat pocket to take a look at the display of the device in question and shrugs... Quite an accumulation of bounties, prizes, and regular pay, it wasn't like she needed much of anything as a Quattoria, so she checked the listing to see if it was even there. If not, other things would have to be considered.

It wasn't listed, although it said at the end, "Any legitimate form of currency not listed here will be taken into consideration."

Sharra shrugged and headed off in the direction of the office after finding its location, idly tossing the marker into the air and catching it.

The man tending to this particular establishment was not a Cybion, having no apparent cybernetic enhancements at all. He was currently using a magnifying device to examine a gold coin, frowning a bit in thought. After a moment he noticed that he had company. "Ah, hello, what can I do for you today?"

Sharra smiled and nodded in greeting. "Hello, was just interested to see if the currency of the world I came from was exchangeable here, and if so at what rate." She offered the marker for his inspection.

"Ah, hmm, let me take a look at that, hmm now, I don't think I've seen something like this before," he said, giving it a good look over. "Which universe would that happen to be?"

"The Three Galaxies," Sharra replied easily. "Which is connected to a number of others through permanent rifts which you might or might not have heard of. Hmm, I think the last count was between one and two thousand, been a while since I checked."

He reached over to his terminal and tapped in some information. "Yes, yes, tell me, what approximate value in the form of goods or services, or perhaps comparison with the standard value of gold or such, would this entail as a means of exchange?"

Sharra chuckled softly. "Let me put it this way, I could pay for the fully customized and complete conversion of six cyborgs with what's accumulated there. Gold? Well..." she looked at him strangely, "Do people even still use that as a currency? It's, uhhhh, awfully simple to produce."

"Some of the worlds with which our people have had recent contact have been... fairly primitive," he replied with a smirk. "Never mind the fact that the value of gold and silver tends to vary widely depending upon how much of it there is on a particular planet and whether the natives even value it for jewelry or industrial purposes." He tapped at his terminal some more.

Sharra just shook her head at that. "I don't think any of the client colonies have used that in hundreds, if not thousands of years. Guess it's inevitable to find it somewhere though." She shrugged, tilting her head in polite attentiveness.

"Some are even worse about it," he said, holding up the coin he was looking at. "See this? At first glance someone might think it's gold. But it's actually made up of copper, zinc, manganese, and nickel." He snorted. "Alright, presuming similar costs involved, that'll put you at about, hmm, thirty million Karzan credits."

Sharra nodded. "Fair enough, I'll have to reset the access code on the marker so it can be transferred to someone else though, or it won't even accept a new genetic imprint or allow another to use it." She extended a hand, palm up in gesture for the item.

He nodded and returned it to her and dug around through some drawers. "Currency is so fascinating. With that Interdimensional Bridge opened up, perhaps someone will want to visit that universe sometime. Here we go." He pulled out a credit chip and inserted it into the terminal, tapped some more and made some things light up, and pulled it out.

Sharra took it back and cleared the imprint as well as returning the codekey to its default, she handed it back after with a brief explanation as to how it worked. "Oh," she added with a smile. "Feel free to duplicate the machinery. It'll show up as a blank slate. Useful if you wanted to split it up though." She took the other chip with a nod.

"Alright, there you go, pleasure doing business with you," he said, putting away the "gold" coin and setting to work with fascination and zeal on the interesting new thing that has come into his hands.

Sharra chuckled. "Good luck, and thanks." She headed back out of the exchange at a brisk pace, smiling quirkily as she headed back in the direction of the landing bay and her soon-to-be new ship. A flicker of an idea crossed her mind, deepening the smile just a bit more as she tucked it away for later.


	3. Visiting Toronto

Having taken care of the financial angle of the deal, Sharra headed back toward the landing bay where she'd found the desired ship a short time ago. There were a few minor security details which would have to be looked at, but that would have to wait until the deal was done.

The pilot selling the ship is diligently finishing up a few last maintenance runs and systems scans when she arrives, and dusting off some imagined dust.

Sharra smiled, the flickering moment of caution not showing as she approached him. "Looks like we're good to go," she said, "Though I wanted to talk to you about the price for a minute."

"Maintenance scans done, all systems check out, everything's running at near optimal efficiency." He looked up at her with a smile and said, "Yeah, I know it's a bit pricey for a used ship, but she's in great condition."

Sharra's smile deepened just a bit, showing a hint of her teeth. "That's what I meant. I think you under-valued the sale price a bit and far be it from me to take advantage of the situation. How's two-fifty sound to you? Fair return on the maintenance and everything else, I'd think."

He blinked up at her in surprise, having expected her to haggle the price _down_ , not up. He wasn't certain how to respond to that.

"I know machines," Sharra said softly, still smiling as she gestured to the ship, "And despite what others might think I have a firm belief that they can be happy or they can be pissed off, and I think this is the former. I'm willing to add a bit more for that. Deal?"

"Well, if you're sure, far be it from me to argue about people wanting to give me money!" He gave a short laugh.

"I'm sure," Sharra replied firmly, grinning. "Besides, that'll be a bit more toward that shiny new Whistler you're looking at, maybe adding a mod or two to it. Anyway, let's finalize the thing."

"Alright then," he said, tapping at the console a bit and clearing the system passwords and briefly telling her how to set that to what she wanted.

Sharra listened intently, though the first thing she'd be looking to do would be adding a neural interface if it didn't already have one since that'd make a lot of things much simpler. When he was done, she nodded in satisfaction and offered him the payment.

He happily accepted it, got the credits transferred over, thanked her profusely, and went to leave her to her ship. "If you have any problems with anything or need help with something, be sure to give me a call, I'll be happy to take a look at it!" he offered as he went.

"I will, and thanks," Sharra replied, his willingness to offer that last assuaging a hint of her caution regarding the deal even though she'd still be making a thorough check of the systems to be certain that there were no unexpected surprises left behind. Not everyone who had cybernetics would be a Cybion, of course, but right now she couldn't take the chance since it was the girl's life on the line.

That in mind, she quickly went through the checklist for security passwords and reset them, then sealed the ship and headed back to her quarters to collect Zillah. Zillah had been apparently amusing herself with Heinlein in her absence, and went and cautiously let her in when she arrived back.

"Let's get you ready to go, pup," Sharra said gently in greeting, entering and sealing the door behind her, then turning a grin to Zillah. "We're not going to be passengers this time around."

Zillah smiled and said, "What did you get?" She went to pack up her things again, shoving the data pad she was reading back into her bag.

"It's a surprise," Sharra replied, still grinning as she dug out a footlocker from the closet, the sole extent of what she carried with her, "Though I think you'll like it." She was sure of it in fact, and hid any hint of any further surprise involved carefully for now.

Zillah excitedly finished packing and slung her bag across her shoulder. She replicated a bottle of flavored blue sugar-water to go, as well, and took a drink. "I'm ready to go!"

Sharra chuckled, slinging the heavy metal footlocker over her left shoulder by a strap, a familiar arrangement that would leave her right hand free in event she needed to draw a weapon. She walked over to retrieve the security trap, opened the door, and took a quick look out before leaving. There was nobody outside at the moment aside from a few random civilians walking back and forth through the corridors.

"Alright, let's go," Sharra motioned Zillah to follow here and headed off in the direction of the landing bay, keeping an eye out for anything unusual through habit as well as her awareness of the girl's safety.

Fortunately, no one bothered them, and they didn't even notice any Cybions along the way either. Zillah followed along nervously and excitedly, eager to see what Sharra had acquired. Sharra walked into the bay and threaded her way through the ships docked there, stopping near the Darknova and pointing to it as she glanced over to Zillah, ears cocked.

"There she is," she said, "What do you think?"

"Oooh," Zillah said, practically bouncing over toward the ship, wide-eyed. "It's beautiful!"

Sharra smiled and crossed over to unseal the hatch, gesturing inside. "In you go, then. I'm going to want to do some checks on the systems, then we can head out."

Zillah hopped inside cheerfully and took a seat in the co-pilot's chair. The systems were all in good working order, with no real problems with the important systems, and even the minor systems were working at at least 90%.

Sharra was confident that would be the case, but after sealing the ship again she began a more thorough, detailed examination of the systems for hints of anything which might have been left behind. Her primary concerns were things like tracking devices or programs, as well as hidden links in the depths of the computer or time-bombs in the astrogation system.

The search would take a bit of time, but it would be simpler once she dug out a few tools from her locker and set to creating a neural interface for the ship's systems. That link was one of many systems she had available to her, allowing a considerably faster connection to the computer in question as it basically would make it an extension of herself.

It wasn't particularly difficult to set it up, almost as if it had been designed to allow that as an optional addition. Searching through the depths of the ships's systems, however, the worst thing she found were some combat simulation games and half-deleted pornography. Sharra chuckled to herself, finishing the task on the pornography, then gave a satisfied sigh as she stretched in her chair and turns her attention outward, blinking.

"Mm, looks like we're good to go," she said, swivelling her chair and looking over at Zillah with a quirked brow. "So, you said you can pilot one of these? How'd you like to give it a try?"

"Oh, certainly!" Zillah said cheerfully. "It was part of my training, piloting!"

Sharra nodded, ears flicking as she swivelled back. "She's all yours then."

She'd keep an eye on things through the neural link, just in case, but she folded her arms and makes a deliberate display of unconcern at the idea. Adding a bit of confidence and experience was always a good thing. In the meantime, she sifted through the astrogation database for a least-time course for the Empire's capital world.

Zillah took off the ship and heads out of the docking bay and into open space without much of a problem. The most direct course, suggestions the navigation computer, would be to take the jump hole to Balzac and fly up the jump gate network from there through Tau, Rath, Secundus, Primus, Terra, then Toronto. Sharra looked at the suggested route, and barring anything which screams out as dangerous in the databanks or seeming a better way she ran the numbers and set them on standby.

"Alright, why don't you set up a course for Toronto," she said, "We can double-check it and then head out. Maybe talk about a little something along the way."

It should be a pretty safe course, commonly used by ships heading from Epsilon to Toronto, through habited systems primarily. Zillah nodded and headed off in that direction.

Sharra left the piloting in Zillah's hands, content to sit back and watch with a quiet smile and monitor things through the link. She waited a while, letting the girl enjoy herself a bit, then tilted her head and turned a thoughtful gaze on her.

"I've been thinking of something, pup," she said quietly, "and I'm not sure just how to go about it so I don't sound like every other adult you've ever known."

Zillah piloted the ship into the jump hole, her quick reflexes easily navigating the twists and turns of the wormhole. When they emerged in the Balzac system, she gave a glance over and said, "What is it?"

Sharra considered it for a moment more after they emerged from the jump, then shrugs mentally and prayed to the old gods that she wasn't making a mistake. "I wasn't kidding when I said this ship was yours, I'll transfer it over to you when we get to Toronto safe and sound," she began, "But..." she smiled, a trifle sadly, "There's always a 'but', isn't there? I'd like you to consider something for me in return."

"Really?" Zillah said, a little surprised. "But... what?"

"I want you to have a chance at a normal life, if only for a while," Sharra said softly. "If you'll let me, I'd like to find a family, a real family for you to spend some time with when we get to Toronto. Give you a chance to see all the things that you haven't been able to among the Cybions. Socializing with others, the simple joy of life itself... all the little things." She sighed, then smiled quietly. "You don't have to accept," she said, "The ship's yours either way, and even if you do I won't ask for any kind of timeframe or promise on it. Just... think about it, alright?"

Zillah was quite confused, and clearly didn't understand. A patrol from Balzac flew by them and after a quick identification check, didn't bother them. "Socializing? What, there were plenty of people aboard Epsilon Station, bunch of others my age in my classes too..."

"No, you don't," Sharra replied softly. "And that's the reason I'd like you to let me do this, to give you a chance to understand the things that you're missing and _don't_ understand. There's a lot more to socialization than just being among those your own age, a huge and yet ephemeral factor comes from dealing with a family as well... It's hard to explain, though I know it in my heart from my own days among my clan."

"But I already have a family... There's my dad, my grandmother, and my sisters... anybody else wouldn't really be my family..."

"Where are your family now, pup?" Sharra asked gently. "I won't speak ill of them, but where were they when the Cybions were looking at you like nothing more than an experiment? Family is more than blood, it comes from the heart and soul, both of which can grow to encompass more than one 'family'."

"I'm sure they didn't really know what might have been going on there. They trusted the Cybions to take care of me and make sure I was properly schooled and all..."

"Undoubtedly," Sharra replied reassuringly. "But to not even know where they might be found? To be left in the care of surrogates who clearly engage in pursuits that make them monstrous..." she shook her head, turning her golden eyes to look out at the starscape. "You are far older than your years in some ways, and in others the thirteen year old girl is so painfully obvious. I wish..." She shook her head.

Zillah flew the ship smoothly toward the jump gate. Once the jump hole was past this particular journey not being an overly difficult one even for a small child to manage. "I'm sure they must be somewhere. Maybe somebody somewhere knows where they are."

"I'm sure someone knows," Sharra replied, monitoring the situation still and prepared to intervene if needed. The request had been made, the seed planted, and there was nothing more she could or would do on it. She refused to treat the girl in the same manner as the bastard Cybions had... "Perhaps this Talia will have heard something through the resources available to her."

Fortunately, the jump gate network was quite useful for what it was designed for, quick travel between systems. They could cover in a few hours what might have taken days to work through the systems to where they were going. It might seem a little strange that the capital of the rebellion and the empire were so close together, when it came down to it, for all the remote systems in this galaxy.

Sharra didn't see it as particularly strange, the seemingly conflicting elements were ones that often remained near each other for the simple reason that each had to have a ready supply of 'enemies' to fuel its cause. She allowed silence to descend and remain for as long as Zillah might wish it, her own thoughts remaining to her own counsel.

Weaving their way from jump gate to jump gate, the trip passed in short order and they soon arrived in the Toronto system. Battleships guarded each of the jump gates and large stations could be seen in orbit around the planet Toronto and two of the gas giants.

Sharra waited for the inevitable contact and challenge, prepared to identify the craft as well as state the purpose of their journey here and intent to continue to the planet itself.

Ordinarily, a Darknova being a widely recognized rebel-made ship would have resulted in a very hostile reaction here, but as it was since the peace treaty, only cautious welcome greeted them. "Darknova X-31-864J, please transmit your full identification and purpose for your presence in the Toronto system," said a voice from over the comm coming from the nearby battleship.

Sharra transmited the requested data, the caution in the message causing her to monitor Zillah a bit more closely to make certain that there wouldn't be any mistakes that would cause them to be fired upon. She deliberately expanded on her intent for the journey, listing the girl's name and family acquaintance with Talia.

There was a few moments' pause, and then the reply came, "Welcome to Toronto. Please proceed at will."

Zillah steered the ship over toward the planet and toward one of the docking areas near the Imperial Palace. Sharra fully expected that it would take some time to actually arrange a meeting with the Empress, unless the woman managed to get wind of it and smooth the road out for them... hence the deliberate mention. She studied the planet below and the security arrangements with a critical eye, quietly approving and more certain than ever that Zillah would be safe here.

Again at the landing pad their identity was asked and they were cleared for landing. Zillah landed them down lightly in the designated area. There were a number of ships about, and the area surrounding the Imperial Palace was dotted with large ground-to-air laser turrets, most of which showed some signs of damage from the recent attacks but had been since repaired.

Sharra disconnected from the ship and rose, turning to look down at Zillah with a thin smile. "Well, we're here, ready to get out, take a look around, and see if we can't get in to see that friend of the family?"

"Okay! I've never been to the capital planet before!" She seemed very excited. She powered down the ship and hopped out of the hatch cheerfully.

It was late evening on this part of Toronto, but the lights of the city obscured the stars, and only the brightest ones could be seen from here.

Sharra smiled, following the exuberant youngster with her eyes for a long moment before trailing after. "Looks a bit late in the day," she said, stepping out of the hatch and taking a look around, "But may as well head over and see if anyone's still awake and can either let us in or provide the proper channels for gaining an audience."

There was a sign near the palace instructing anyone desiring entry into the Imperial Palace to check by the office across the street first, so they headed over that way. There was a gray floppy-eared bunny behind the desk there who looked up at them when they came in.

Sharra offered a business-like nod as she entered. "Good evening. I'm acting as an escort for a member of the Jordan family and am looking to get in touch with Empress Talia, if at all possible." She gestured to Zillah, leaving it to the girl as to how much she revealed beyond what had been said.

"Jordan family..." the bunny mumbled, looking up something on a terminal. "You're Kalli May's granddaughter?"

Zillah gave a nod and said, "Yes, I am Zillah Jordan."

The rabbit's ears perked and she tapped some more, and said, "Your Ladyship, Kalli May's granddaughter, Zillah Jordan, is here to see you."

There was an almost immediate response, "Send her in."

That was simple, Sharra mused, and nodded silent thanks to the rabbit. "Let's go," she said to Zillah, the immediate reply giving her a sense of relief that the girl was quite likely to find refuge here.

They headed across the street into the Imperial Palace. The guards had been apparently notified and nodded them in, opening the doors for them a they approached. One of them near the entryway was kind enough to offer to escort them through the winding halls of the palace to a balcony on the fifth floor where the Empress Talia currently was.

"That would be appreciated," Sharra replied politely, then tilted her ears. "Is there a place to check my weapons?" She didn't want to begin this on a bad footing, and pointing out the obvious was generally a good step to take.

The guard glanced her over and replied, "I do not believe the Empress would see much purpose in you removing much of your body before seeing her. Come." He headed up through the palace.

Sharra chuckled but didn't argue, even though she carried a device that could disable any inbuilt weapon systems as well as dampen power output sufficiently to make her no more dangerous than a normal wolfen. She followed silently after him, examining the architecture as they went with mild interest.

Although the palace was clearly highly technological, it had been designed to appear for most purposes to be somewhat like a medieval castle, although with better lighting, a fresh paint job, and indoor plumbing. Some floors up, the guard brought them before Talia, who was out on the balcony leaning on the railing and looking out over the city.

Talia glanced over to them as they approached. "Ah, hello."

Sharra tilted her muzzle to acknowledge the greeting, then shifted to a casually attentive stance. "Empress Talia, I've brought young Zillah Jordan from Epsilon Station in the hopes that she might find refuge here. Cybions who had been set to oversee her, and considered it observation of an experiment..." her muzzle rippled in a snarl at that, but it smoothed quickly, "Were dealt with when they attempted to spirit her away against her will. Having spoken with her at length, I considered this the best possible option which was currently available." She delivered the statement in bland, crisp tones much reminiscent of a military report.

Talia frowned a bit at this news and said, "I'm sorry, I was unaware of the situation on Epsilon Station."

Zillah went to the railing and stared out in wonderment over the city, never having seen such a thing before and gaping a bit.

Talia smiled faintly and said, "Know that there is always welcome for you on Toronto, dear girl."

Sharra's stance softened at the reply, and her gaze shifted to Zillah with a quiet smile for a long moment before she looked back to Talia. "Thank you," she said softly, "I hadn't been sure what reception we'd receive here, but this is all that I could have hoped for. The pup appeared to be in considerable danger, particularly as they sent armed members of their entourage to recover her, but it appears she's truly safe now."

Talia's frown deepened further and said, "They attacked you? That group of Cybions has clearly stepped over the line this time... And they were trying to get her off the station before the Imperial troops arrived there? Do you know where they might have gone?"

Sharra shook her head once. "I'm afraid not, I was more intent on making certain she was safe until transport could be arranged here. I can, however, provide you with the images recorded by my optic systems which will readily identify the Cybions involved, dead and otherwise."

Talia gave a nod and said, "I'll be certain to send a squad of Death Dancers to track down the culprits. Trying to sneak off like that is very suspicious, even disregarding the blatant attacks."

"I believe Zillah may have data in her possession as to their intent, or otherwise important to them," Sharra replied. "The first I scared off seemed intent on including a number of datapads to the items to bring along with her. Perhaps the genetic information she mentioned was the source of their interest, but I'm afraid that's not my field of expertise so I couldn't provide much of an analysis on it."

"Nor mine, but I do have a number of skilled genetic experts on hand," Talia said, nodding to Zillah, who pulled out the datapads. Talia took them and glancedover them, then summoned in a servant to carry them to there. Rather low tech method of transferring data there.

"I..." Sharra began, glancing over at Zillah, then shook her head and looked back to Talia. "I should waste no more of your time, Empress, I'm sure you've got plenty of other things to see to. Zillah?" she turned to the girl, "I'll have those security codes transmitted here for you, alright?"

Talia said, "Oh, it's not a worry, I wasn't really doing anything anyway. I like to look out at the city sometimes... I wish I could see the stars better from here, but my job doesn't let me get out into space much."

"There's good and bad points to that, I suppose," Sharra replied, taking the woman at her word and not pressing further, instead crossing to lean against the railing and gaze upward. "At least down here you can look up and wonder, up there... you get to see all the things that people get up to when they think that no one's watching them or will ever find out. Which is better? Don't ask me."

Talia snickered and said, "There's disadvantages to being a psychic, too. I could tell right away that this was one of Kalli's, even disregarding the family resemblance and the identification. I can't read her at all."

"I wouldn't know," Sharra said lightly. "Even if I'd been born psychic the conversion would have eliminated any possibility of using it, and even if it had survived the conversion there's no way it'd get past the psi-net. Better to be blind and untouched than seeing more than you'd want and having to worry about others looking into your mind too. Probably some of the reasoning the Cybions used for adding it into the mix with her."

Zillah raised an eyebrow and said, "But, I'm psychic too..."

Talia chuckled and said, "Yeah, we thought Kalli was psi-blind at first, until she started inexplicably displaying some psychic abilities... It's weird..."

Sharra looked over at them, her eyes intent, then chuckled softly. "I think you're going to be just fine here, pup. At least there's that." She pushed away from the railing lightly, careful of her own strength, and nodded to Talia. "Thank you again, Empress. Take care of her..."

Glancing aside to Zillah once more she smiled faintly, shook her head once, and headed for the door.

Zillah turned around and said, "Wait, where are you going?"

Sharra stopped in the entryway, cloaked in the deepening shadow of the late evening, and looked back. "I'm going to the ship first, to seal things up and collect my gear, then transmit the codes here. After that, I think it's time to head back to the stars."

Zillah headed back over that way and said, "But..."

Sharra stepped back nearer, smile emerging quietly. "You're going to be fine here, pup, that's all that matters. The Cybions can't get you here, and the Empress may be able to help you find where your family are."

And hopefully know the difference between which ones were worthy of the trust, she mused, turning a look to Talia.

"But... but... I thought... I don't want to stay here..." Zillah said, looking to be on the verge of tears all of a sudden.

Sharra crouched down near Zillah, a hand reaching out to touch her cheek. "What do you want then?" she asked gently, "Ask it and I'll do what I can to get it for you."

She'd tried to think of any other options which would keep the girl safe and free of any harm. This was the only real one which had presented itself.

"I want to fly!" Zillah said fervently. "I want to go places and see things and do things! I want to... I want to find my sisters, and my father, and my grandmother..."

"You can fly, that's what the ship is for," Sharra replied with a soft chuckle, caressing Zillah's cheek. "And the Empress has far greater resources to help you find your family than you're likely to find anywhere else. As for adventure..." her voice was gently melancholy as she continued, "Take care what you wish for, little one. You're young yet, give yourself time to grow and truly know those wings you bear."

Zillah turned away, sniffling and rubbing her eyes, and murmured, "I... I..."

Talia stood by silently, not wanting to interfere.

Sharra sank to one knee, arms resting lightly on the other as she merely watched for a long moment. "You'll be so much more than you are now," she said gently, "I can only hope that I'll see the butterfly which finally emerges from its cocoon one day."

Zillah didn't say anything, but stormed off out the door crying. Talia frowned off at her. Sharra was just glad that there were certain biological functions which were no longer possible, as her muzzle sank and eyes closed in sorrow. She hadn't wanted their parting to bring the girl this pain, she hadn't wanted... instinct and wish or no, however, that life was far too dangerous and she could never do that.

Talia sighed softly and murmured, "I'm sure she can't get into any trouble inside the palace. I'd better turn in. Unlike some here, I'm fully human and still require little things like sleep." She smiled gently to Sharra, and headed off to her quarters.

Sharra nodded silently at the departing comment and remained otherwise still for long minutes. Finally, however, she rose and glanced up at the stars, her heart yearning to howl mournfully in the old ways of her people to the darkening night but she quelled the urge. Silently she turned and retraced the path she'd taken into the palace and back to the ship, composing herself through contemplation of what needed to be done.

She would transmit the security codes, as promised, as well as the images she'd recorded of the Cybion criminals for Talia. In the morning... she would see to a final detail of setting up an account for the girl, then take her locker and return once more to her self-appointed rounds. That path would lead back to Epsilon, as there was at least _one_ thing she could yet do... though the Cybions wouldn't be happy about it.

When she got there, she finds Zillah curled up underneath the ship, sobbing quietly. She didn't look up as she approached.

Sharra winced inwardly, the sight painful to her, but approached silently to crouch beside the ship and look beneath it. "Don't cry, little one, please," she murmured gently, "I never meant or wanted to bring you tears, I never would. Please, come out..." she coaxed.

Zillah looked out hesitantly, wiping her eyes and sniffling. Sharra extended a hand invitingly, but made no other move towards Zillah even though the situation would be simple enough to resolve that way... she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"Please?" Sharra asked gently, her golden eyes gleaming faintly in the reflection of lights nearby. "Come and tell me what hurts you so, I would make it better if I can."

Zillah said, barely above a whisper, "You would leave me here. You would leave me behind. You try to protect me... but I am a Dancer on the Edge of Death. I cannot... will not..." She sniffled and rubbed her eyes some more.

Sharra's ears laid back, the source of the girl's pain striking entirely too close to her own instinct and inclinations. "You don't understand," she murmured. "What you saw me do on the station I would never have you see, not until you're ready, and that was only one of the times that I've killed or worse, little one. I don't want to see the blood on another's claws stain your own soul..."

Zillah was confused. "What does that have to do with anything? You don't think they killed people, that _I_ killed people, while Chaos had taken over the station? Being a Death Dancer isn't about killing... far more a display of skill to not kill than to kill!"

Sharra shook her head sadly. "That's not the point..." she sighed and settled to the ground, tail laying still and lifeless beside her. "Death isn't something to dismiss, it's something that sometimes has to be done and often for good reasons... but that's not always the case. You're young yet, there's so much you don't understand even though there's so much that you _do_..." She looked at Zillah and gestured her nearer. "Come here, little one. No tricks, no traps, just truth as I've given you since the beginning."

Zillah crawled over to her and sat cross-legged beside her. "I know... that was always one of the things they were sure to teach me from the start... and a lot of things my grandmother said... that was one of the things she always said... she's something of a legend among the Death Dancers... among the whole galaxy! They always expected me to live up to her..."

"You don't have to live up to anyone," Sharra replied softly, "That's part of what I was wishing you could see in other ways, but..." she shook her head, "You're Zillah, and no matter that other people might look at you as the daughter or granddaughter or other relative of so-and-so, or as an experiment to create some mythical 'perfect being'... you're still a little girl, with all the needs and wants that come with that."

Zillah closed her eyes and pressed her fists to her forehead. "How can you say that I'm free to choose one minute, but that I'm not the next?"

Sharra chuckled softly. "That's the problem with the world, little one, it doesn't always make sense, does it? There are always going to be things that you _can_ choose your own path on, and others that you _can't_ , for one reason or another. It doesn't get any less painful when you're older, but it starts to make more sense when you can see the reasoning behind it."

"Oh, I can see the reasoning just fine. You want me to be safe? You want to protect me? If I thought otherwise I don't think I would be speaking with you now." Zillah sighed, and looked up over at her.

"Yes," Sharra replied simply, returning the look evenly and without hesitation. "Don't be angry with me, little one, please. I could give you a thousand reasons and platitudes to try and confuse the issue, but the simple truth is just as you've said. Just as I would not wish your tears at my hand, I would do anything to see that you are safe and given a chance to realize your full potential."

Zillah muttered dryly, "I'm not exactly going to get much chance to 'realize my full potential' sitting around in the Imperial capital." She sighed. "One of the things they were sure to teach me was to be able to estimate my own capabilities. 'Overconfidence is death', and all that."

Sharra sighed softly. "What is it that you want, little one? Tell me. I can guess what it would be well enough, and I'll tell you that part of me leaps with joy at the idea while another weeps for what could have been instead. Tell me, and perhaps we can reach a compromise that will ease your heart."

"I want to fly... I want to go places I've never been before... I want to... I want to help free people from the remnants of Chaos... and to make sure nothing like that ever happens again..."

Sharra just looked at Zillah, her own emotions warring without sign emerging in her expression. "Do you know what you ask?" she finally managed, "You're wanting to do things that people kill and are killed over. Are you certain that you really, truly understand what you're sacrificing the chance for? You're thirteen. Your entire life lies before you. Can't you just leave it for a while and just _live_?" she finished plaintively.

Zillah sighed softly and looked at the ground, and said quietly, "No, I can't do that. Not for myself, not for anything. I can't in good conscious sit here in the capital while there's people in the fringe worlds fighting for their lives."

Sharra clenched a fist, a surge of anger rising and her hackles standing at the thought of all the damage which had been done... damn the Cybions, her eyes flashed in the light and a soft growl rose. She pushed it away, looking sadly at Zillah as she nodded once, accepting defeat.

"Alright then, pup, you've made your choice and will have to live with it. If you ever change your mind..." She could hope, by the old gods.

Zillah rubbed her head and gave a faint smile, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I don't think I could have it any other way."

"I could wish," Sharra replied, a bittersweet melancholy shading her voice as she reached out to touch Zillah's cheek. "I could pray, but instead..." Her hand dropped away and she pushed the melancholy back to the shadows of her soul. "Don't expect me to not try my damnedest to protect you, little one. I won't give up on that."


	4. Jaunt to Tibet

A quick check with the palace computers did reveal that they had at least vague whereabouts for some of Zillah's relatives. They knew that Kalli and Jenna were last known to be heading for the Elkandu Universe. Felicia and Abram were in the fringe worlds, thought to be in the vicinity of Tibet. Emily was presumed dead, with some question.

Having settled matters with Zillah, Sharra resigned herself... though resignation was far from the truth of it... to helping the girl answer the questions which were doubtless of some import to her. Finding her family would be first on that list, and who might say what could come of that? She didn't think of that, deliberately holding it at bay and turning to the problem at hand.

"Tibet is our best bet," she mused. "Not only is it closer and within this dimension, but the information is considerably more refined than for the other possibilities."

Zillah agreed, and set a course for the edge of Imperial space, where they'd be able to activate the jump drive and head to Tibet. Zillah looked at the information in the navigational computer about Tibet.

"It says there's been a small independent base out there, rocky planet, barely within habitable range for humans..."

"We'll check there first, I think," Sharra said. "It would seem the most likely suspect, rather than the more sedate and mundane planet."

The information on the family would support that, as there appeared to be a tendency in all of them to wander and scatter to the solar winds rather than settle down anywhere. She chuckled and glanced at Zillah, then returned to monitoring their progress.

Once out of range of the hyperspace inhibitor buoys, Zillah set in a course for Tibet and activated the jump drive, and flew into the wormhole which opened. She settled in and thought about putting on some music, and ran through the ship's databases to see what was available.

Sharra traced the search, curious as to the girl's tastes and preferences, but makes no commentary on it. "Hmm, going to need to get you back on track with your lessons," she said, "The computer should be perfectly-capable of handling that, with a little guidance. Don't want you to fall behind or get lazy just because you're flying all over the galaxy." She grinned lightly, having little doubt _that_ would happen.

"I never really saw much point in some of the subjects they were teaching me. Like history. It was all about what happened when, and not _why_ it happened or what came of it. Just a bunch of meaningless dates..."

Sharra cocked an ear at that. "Dates without reason? That's pretty pointless. No reason to follow that path, pup, it's more important to know the why of a thing than the when. It's important to be able to recognize how people work, how they think, and how you fit into the bigger picture that comes from that. So... skip the errata sheet and drag out news reports, op-ed pieces, and things like that. See what these events really meant beyond the dates."

"I saw what happened, when Chaos came. I saw how many of the rebels greeted them gleefully and ran to them with open arms. Especially the Cybions. But the Death Dancers didn't do that, not most of them. And then the Cybions were trying to build something called a 'Geneforge' down in the lower station... they thought I didn't know about that, either."

"There's always going to be those who welcome disorder and darkness," Sharra said. "It's a price that society has to pay for allowing people to think and do what they want, even within specific rules. More the nature of the beast, really, since even the most free society is going to have those elements that will go against the principles of what's right just because they _can_."

"'They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security'," Zillah quoted. "But that's what the Death Dancers are for. My grandmother came and broke into the sealed part of the base and blew up their 'Geneforge'..."

Sharra smiled. "Sounds like your grandmother's got a good sense of ethics. Important thing to have with the way the galaxies turn. Hmm, speaking of, add ethics and philosophy to that list if you haven't already. That's what really makes us different from the monsters, pup, the choices that we make and the reasons behind them. I think you'll understand a bit more why those Cybions made me so angry in time."

Zillah gave a nod, a bit of a snort of laughter. "My 'ethics and philosophy' textbook back on Epsilon was apparently written by my grandmother, too. Sort of. They sort of compiled it together from irritated postings and arguments she had made on the cybernet."

Sharra chuckled. "Well there's a lot more of it out there than just that. It's been a topic that the various races have been covering since the first time they stood upright and really took a look at the world around them. The theater may have changed over time, but the same basic principles remain the same, remarkably so. Good and evil, each side has had its argument to strengthen their position."

"Yeah..." Zillah commented, poking through the ship's database a bit more absently. It certainly had a wide selection of topics to choose from, dating back thousands of years.

"Ultimately it comes down to the choices you make, though," Sharra said, then chuckled. "That's why us old-timers make sure that the young ones are stuffed to the brim with the things that'll help them understand and make the right ones. Not that there aren't those on the other side who do the same thing..." she shrugged, "It could be called indoctrination, I suppose, but done right it makes for a responsible, healthy person."

Up on the screen popped "Cybernet Rantings" by Kalli May. It was a volume several thousand pages long consisting of nothing but her own comments and lengthy rants on various subjects. Apparently Kalli had a good number of opinions about things, and wasn't afraid to state them. While that was up, Zillah continued to poke through other available titles.

Sharra grinned inwardly, scanning through the file and finding a greater part of it to be well within the bounds of what her own upbringing, training, and experience would consider reasonable. It was a good starting point, at least, though certainly not the only source that should be consulted... there was even something to be gained in looking at the opinions of those on the other side.

Without knowing the various perspectives, how could someone possibly make a rational and informed choice when the time came? The dangers of accepting one viewpoint as absolute truth had been proven time and again throughout history as one group of fanatics or another sought to cement their place in the universe... only to find that their foundations were set on shifting sands.

"Interesting," Sharra murmured.

Zillah brought up a list of various volumes in the database with their authors and dates on the subject matter at hand, listed in order of popularity and how well-known they are.

Sharra scanned the list, paying absolutely no attention to the popularity ratings as she'd always thought that was kind of a silly idea. Many of them she wouldn't recognize, of course, but she could take a scan through some of the newer volumes to get a feel for them... the classics, on the other hand... Oh how she'd hated them when she was growing up, but had learned more from them than she'd realized until much later.

She set a few titles aside in that vein and left Zillah to sort and choose through the other, again watching curiously to see a hint of the girl's criteria. "Interesting times indeed," she said aloud, "when the changes wrought by technology go faster than society can often keep up with it."

"What do you mean?" Zillah said, putting on some Wagner quietly and pulling up one of the books onto her screen to settle in and start reading.

Sharra's ears tilted at the music, listening, and smiled approvingly. "Your grandmother's text, as an example. Long ago the wise men and philosophers relied on their followers to note down and publish what they said. Now it's possible to record it at a great distance and compile widely separated events into a single tome. The wonders of technology are legion, out-weighing its poisons even though some would disagree."

"The cybernet's crazy these days," Zillah said. "It was especially bad when Chaos was around... I ended up switching it off during that and never really turned it back on." She replicated herself a Genericola and leaned back comfortably reading.

"I can imagine," Sharra replied. "The ability to communicate instantly with countless others is a wonderful thing..." she chuckled quietly, "And some should never be allowed that right. Which is why we're going to make sure you're ready and responsible for that privilege, hmm? Study," she finished, turning back to a thoughtful perusal of Kalli's 'textbook'.

Zillah chuckled, and continues reading. It appeared that Kalli had a lot of things to say, many of them critical of the Cybions. She appeared to have been openly defiant of them most of the time and refused to take orders from them. She never much liked or trusted the Urians either, and found the Euphorians overly indulgent, and neither did she like the Glyphans' "art".

Sharra did some research in the computer when she ran across unfamiliar terms such as 'Glyphans', and found that her own philosophy agreed more often than not with the author. If she was going to live in exile, she might as well become as familiar as she can with what she was likely to face here... and do something about it when she can. There was always a need for people like her, no matter the dimension.

Kalli also had a good deal to say about the Death Dancers and what they stood for. She also said, "'Good' is defined by the sacrifice of self for others. 'Evil' is defined by the sacrifice of others for the self. You cannot forget what you are fighting for, why you rebelled against the Usurper in the first place. In your own selfishness, you hide in the fringe worlds and refuse to work together and fight against the Empire. Will the Death Dancers have to fight this war by ourselves? We will, if need be. We will make that sacrifice. That is what we live for, and that is what we die for."

Sharra smiled as she read further, making note to herself to discuss the text further with Zillah along the way as there was a great deal that she found worthwhile in it. Equally important, however, was the fact that Kalli had found herself at odds with the Cybions for the most part, a telling argument against their general purpose and nature. There was something to admire there, if not to 'live up to' she snorted inwardly.

The ship flew on for some hours, and Zillah finished what she was reading, stretching a bit and getting up to replicate some dinner, a plate full of burritos with salsa and some more cola. At least one could not complain about someone with _her_ metabolism eating all the junk food she ate. Sharra stretched and chuckled, setting aside her own reading for the moment and watching her young charge dig heartily into her food. She tilted her head thinking.

"So, beyond the lessons I'd expect any youngster to be learning, what else were you training with?" Sharra asked, wondering what other capabilities the Cybions had been trying to instill in their 'experiment'.

Zillah pondered over a burrito and said, "Piloting, space combat, hand-to-hand weapons, martial arts, ranged weapons, tactics, strategy, telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance..."

Sharra listened to the list of subjects, some of them forcing her to keep still a snarl of anger at the Cybions. The psychic ones she could certainly agree with, though, as there were few things more dangerous or unpredictable as an untrained psyker.

Setting aside her initial reaction, at least for now, she asked, "And did they give you a weapon, or was it considered too dangerous for them?" she smirked.

Zillah blinked in confusion for a moment. "Sure, I've got a class 5 luminite blaster, the pocket-sized kind. Although we generally practiced on the lowest settings, anyway. But it damned well came in handy when Chaos was around..."

Sharra nodded, surprised that the Cybions hadn't restricted access to that just for control purposes. "Just making sure, pup. If you're going to be traveling with me, I want to be damned certain you have whatever tools you need to protect yourself."

"They made sure I could fight with whatever I had on hand... whether it be ships or blasters, or swords, knives, or just my bare hands... I'm pretty good with aikido too," she said, licking a bit of salsa off her fingers.

"Good range of skills to be had," Sharra replied. "But whenever possible it'll be good for you to stay at range if you have to fight. Some people are going to make the mistake of dismissing you for your size, but others aren't, and there's some ways that size really _does_ matter where yours will work against you."

Zillah finished up her meal and put away the plate. The ship's computer indicated that they were nearing their destination. Zillah took the controls and guided them out of the wormhole opening and into the Tibet system, then brought them down toward a landing area on a plateau for a landing. Several other ships were around, and some buildings were arranged in a haphazard base.

Sharra monitored their progress, though quickly coming to the realization that Zillah was wholly competent in that regard. Didn't mean that having a backup wasn't a good idea, though. She chuckled inwardly, examining her reactions with amusement, then shunted it aside as they landed.

"Time to see what can be found here," she said, rising and heading for the hatch, double-checking her weapons casually.

Zillah powered down and climbed out the hatch and onto the landing field. It was not so much a formal paved field as just a relatively flat part of the rocky plateau. There were a couple assorted people out working on ships or moving crates with antigrav lifters to and from the ships and a storage building. The largest building of the settlement appears to be a combination inn, restaurant, tavern, and general hangout. Not that there was really anywhere else to hang out on this piece of rock.

Sharra took a look around after sealing the ship behind then, assessing the people wandering here and there, gaining a bit of a feel for the lay of the land. She looked down at Zillah and cocked her head in the direction of the building, then headed in that direction.

Zillah headed off that way beside her. The people around here appeared to be rebels, vagrants, pirates, though there weren't many blatant cyborgs in the area. They were mostly human, although two bunnies, a fox, and an elf were spotted as well.

When they entered the main building, a rowdy, maybe half-drunk man looked over to them and said, "Hey, look what the cat dragged in. Or should I say the wolf?"

Sharra looked at the man and offered a broad smile, "My, how original, I don't think I've heard that one before. Thanks you ever so much for sharing your bounty of wisdom."

She offered a sardonic nod of gratitude, then motioned Zillah further inward. No reason to cause a scene, particularly not with the amount of alcohol the man had been consuming that she could easily smell the reek of.

One man, sitting near the drunk, perked up and looked up to them in surprise as they enter. He was wearing a simple brown robe with an ankh around his neck, the robe sewn prominently with the Death Dancer insignia in white.

"Zillah!?" he said, standing up in surprise. "What are you doing out here?"

Sharra's eyes flickered toward the symbol, changing her immediate estimation of the individual in question by degrees. "Looking for some information," she said. "Or more specifically where some of her relatives might be found or when they were seen last."

The man blinked for a moment and said, "Well, you've found one. I'm her father. Abram Jordan."

Zillah smiled over at him, clearly also recognizing him.

He said, "Don't mind Mark. He's an idiot."

Mark said, "Hey!"

Sharra chuckled quietly and tilted her muzzle in Abram's direction. "Then a pleasure to meet you. She had a bit of a run in with some Cybions on Epsilon station, it seemed prudent to find other arrangements for her."

"Oh, those blasted, mad, Chaos-worshipping Cybions..." Abram said. "Please, come have a seat. My friends won't bite. Although for your own sanity, please do not ask Tina to recite any poetry."

Sharra studied the man for a moment, then gently prodded Zillah forward. "Go on, pup. We would seem to be among friends."

Appearances could be deceiving, but she'd deal with that when or if the time came, and it wasn't as if she didn't have experience reading others by more mundane means.

Sharra went to stand near their table and crouched. "Not much love for the Cybions, hmm?"

Zillah went and took a seat, and Abram called the barkeep over to bring her some cola. The barkeep couldn't really complain, since Abram and his friends seemed to be his primary customers at the moment anyway. Abram introduced his companions, the aforementioned Mark, who was a short, wiry man, a taller, muscular man named Kevin, and a petite blonde woman named Tina. They were all Death Dancers.

Sharra shook her head in negation to the barkeep's inquiry, though she could ingest pretty much anything there wasn't much point to it. She stored the names and images of those she was introduced to for future reference, then turned her attention to Abram in thoughtful silence. There were questions she'd like to ask him, but they'd be impolitic and likely cause nothing but a stir or pain for the girl, so she left them.

"What brings you here?" Sharra asked instead, staying on neutral ground that would answer some curiosity as to what was going on in the vicinity.

Zillah drank her cola cheerfully.

Abram said, "Ah, me and my wingmates have been based out around Tibet for some years now. Figured I'd meet back up with them now that things have settled down a bit and see about getting things running again."

"I see," Sharra replied, her immediate reaction softening and a quirked smile emerging as she caught a glimpse of Zillah's good cheer. "Anything of note or suspicion been going on in the immediate vicinity?" she asked, returning her full attention to the elder Jordan.

"Oh, there's always something," Abram said. "This time I think it's the Urians, holed up in an asteroid field in a neighboring system. They've gotten awfully bold lately, and I'm afraid it's probably Emily to blame for their recent antics. A lot of them seem to have developed magical powers overnight... I think she told them the names of the Gods of Death."

"That sounds like a very real potential source for trouble," Sharra agreed, cults based on ancient and obscure religions and gods having a nasty tendency to make for a very ugly scene when they emerged at last. "I take it that you don't believe the assumption that this Emily is dead, as the Karzan believe?"

"Of course she's not dead," Abram said. "She's the High Priestess of the Gods of Life and Death, and the most powerful mortal ever to live in this galaxy. She brought _me_ back to life by simply demanding it of the Nameless Ones. After sacrificing me on an altar." He rolled his eyes at that last.

"How charming," Sharra commented dryly, the image of the family dynamics which were evolving seeming to form a very strange balance from one end of the scale to the other with Abram resting somewhere in between the extremes. "What of Felicia?" she asked. "The Karzan suggested she might be found in this vicinity as well."

"Felicia? She's off in a cabin on the north end of town, minding her own business and trying to stay out of trouble." He gave a short snort of laughter. "She's sort of the black sheep of the family, you see. She's the only one who doesn't have this insatiable need to go off and do reckless and ill-advised things all the time."

Sharra chuckled softly. "That's not necessarily a bad thing, you know. There's worse things than trying to live your life without bothering others and bringing trouble to your door. Not," she added with a small grin, "that I could be accused of that myself, but I certainly don't blame others for at least trying it."

"Aye, certainly not," Abram said. "That's what we Death Dancers live for, after all. We fight so that others might live in peace. And something of my own responsibility to make sure the Urians don't get too much of a foothold, once the repairs are finished on our ships. They banged us up pretty good this time."

"They've become considerably more aggressive lately, I take it?" Sharra asked, the information something that the Karzan would likely find of interest and potential reason for intervening.

"Oh yes," Abram said. "Before, they were always quiet, working in the shadows. Now they're, well, summoning demons and other such business." He sighed.

"Any signs that they're looking to expand soon, or does it appear that they're waiting and building strength for a bolder plan of some sort?" Sharra asked.

"From what I hear, Kalli thwarted a major move of them when they attempted summoning a greater demon in the south part of the galaxy, destroying the thing and obliterating their base. But I doubt that's the only thing they have up their sleeves. I know full well what they're capable of..."

"Hmm," Sharra murmured, considering that, then sharpened her gaze on him. "Definitely something to look into, but it's not going to be safe by any stretch of the imagination. Do you have information on their movements or likely havens in this area?"

Abram brought out a datapad with a map, highlighting Urian pirate activity in this sector. He pointed to a gas giant in a nearby system and said, "I believe their main base in this area is on the largest moon around this gas giant. They've got a few smaller ones dotted around the asteroid fields near here, but I think that's where their real mischief is going down."

Sharra nodded, recording the data. "Any idea of their relative force levels or defensive arrangements? I realize that even this information was likely difficult to acquire."

"We encountered several modified Darknovas heading their fleet and estimate at least a hundred Comets are available to them right now. Ground forces, uncertain."

"Definitely an outpost that's going to require more than a single flight of ships," Sharra remarked blandly. "Have you passed this information along to the Empire? It would be of great interest to them, I'm sure, and perhaps enough so to draw a suitable assault force to deal with the infestation."

"Feh, the Empire won't be much help. We need Death Dancers. And the Death Dancers are spread pretty thin right now... similar things are happening all along the fringe."

"Any help is better than none," Sharra replied. "It would be in their best interests as well to see that this doesn't get out of hand. Are there any other organizations which would have a stake in maintaining stability in the area?"

"Not really. We're pretty isolated out here. There aren't any other real friendly bases for lightyears around. It's basically been up to the four of us to keep Tibet safe lately, which has been growing increasingly hairy as of late."

"So you need reinforcements," Sharra said, "and by your own account your Death Dancers are too spread out to concentrate on any one area. Hmm." She trailed off, thinking about that. "Which could be just what they're wanting while they build up their forces in one area in preparation for something particularly nasty."

"Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of," Abram said with a sigh. "The Urians may be mad, but they're not stupid. And they'd best be stopped sooner rather than later."

Tina put in, "Why don't we call in some Glyphans to scare them off?"

Abram rolled his eyes.

Sharra thought over the basic information she'd studied on the galaxy, discarding the idea of the Glyphans as the obvious joke it was intended as.

"Wasn't there another race involved here?" Sharra asked after a moment, "They were apparently pretty prevalent until recently..." she dug through memory for the name but drew a blank. Damn alien names anyway.

"The elves?" Abram said, raising an eyebrow. "Or the El'dari, as they apparently call themselves. I don't know if they've any real presence in this area, though."

"That'd be who I was thinking of." Sharra nodded. "Maybe someone else to think of in terms of getting reinforcements, though, if they're still around somewhere. Can't imagine that they'd be any more fond of these Urians spreading chaos throughout this galaxy than the Empire or the Death Dancers."

"Aye, I'll have to see about contacting them. I know there's one on this planet, maybe he'll have some contacts, then. Tina, go make yourself useful."

The woman smirked and nodded to them and trotted out to find him.

Abram added, "Even if the Empire _were_ inclined to send enough reinforcements to be useful, it'd take them forever to get here. They haven't had access to our jump drive technology for very long."

"If nothing else it could provide an area to retreat to in safety should the Urian offensive prove to be sufficiently effective," Sharra replied. "As well as possibly add what hyper-capable units they _do_ possess to the line of battle..." She shrugged. "Provided they could be convinced to do so, though I think the Jordan name might hold some influence in that regard." She chuckled, remembering their own greeting.

"I don't like having to call in help from the Empire, not after fighting them for five hundred years, but I'm no fool to be unable to see when I'm outmatched, either," Abram said, sighing.

"I think the information you've already shown me should prove convincing enough in its own right," Sharra replied, "As to the other..." She looked at him intently. "The one who sits on the throne is a friend to your family, even going so far as offering shelter to your daughter when she was endangered by the Cybions. Isn't that reason enough to offer a hand in friendship despite past differences?"

"Aye, I know it's not the same Empire anymore, really," Abram said. "I used to live in the capital myself back before the Rebellion. But then, it's just something of a matter of pride and superstition that Death Dancers don't normally ask for assistance from the likes of the mass-trained unskilled Karzan Military, without good reason. I'd much rather have ten Death Dancers here than a thousand Primo soldiers."

Sharra shook her head once, pressing the point no further for now as she saw no point to it. "The request won't come from a Death Dancer," she grinned, "Though it's definitely something that should be brought to their attention as soon as possible."

Abram gave a shrug, and said, "I'd still rather have Death Dancers. At least I know they're reliable. If you see any lounging about the capital, do poke them to make themselves useful, will you?"

"I will," Sharra assures him. She shifted her gaze to Zillah, expression deliberately neutral as she asked, "Going to come with me, pup, or stay here?" Blood had its power, and she was honor-bound to ask.

Zillah said, "I'll go with you."

The neutrality turned to a smile as she nodded at Zillah's reply. "Alright then, let's go see what we can scare up back on Toronto." She rose, resettling her long coat to conceal the weapons at her hip.

Abram nodded to them and said, "Good luck. Hurry back now." He gave a grim smile. Zillah finished up her drink and stood and headed for the door.

Sharra nodded in reply, then headed back out and for the ship to get it back up and out on the way back to the planet they'd started at. She chuckled, remembering all too well the usual routine of running here, there, everywhere, and then right back to the beginning again. Just how things worked out most times.

Zillah returned to the ship quietly and settled in and powered up the engines without complaint. "Do you think they'll be able to help much?" Zillah asked.

"I don't know," Sharra said, "But I have the feeling that the Empress will do what she can, call it a hunch. Certainly can't hurt to try." She tousled Zillah's hair fondly in passing and settled into a seat, securing herself, then grinned. "Alright, get us out of here, Cap'n."

Zillah smiled and headed them into the air, into orbit, and into a wormhole, and once inside, leaned back and relaxed for the return trip, put on a bit of music, and replicated a snack.


	5. Imperial Politics

Sharra did a bit more reading on the return trip, familiarizing herself with the various factions she'd recently encountered mention of as far as the data within the computer allowed. Rogue mages were nothing to sneer at, she'd seen more than her share of the hell they could summon when they put their twisted minds to it... they were going to need all the help they could get, a bit from Lady Luck would be useful too.

Zillah proceeded to engage in a flight simulation "game".

The Death Dancers, Cybions, Euphorians, Glyphans, Urians, were all pretty well documented. There was some mention of other minor factions as well, such as the Predators, but they tended to be pretty limited to small local areas and in decline as of late.

Always troublemakers, Sharra muttered to herself, sifting through the data thoroughly for anything which would be useful in identifying individuals or trends that would indicate their works. It was the same procedure followed when investigating any potentially dangerous and hostile alien species, familiar territory that passed the time in comfortable silence... though part of her attention turned now and again to what Zillah was doing.

Zillah was evading and destroying simulated Darknovas and Comets, and weaving through asteroid fields and avoiding being hit by rocks.

Most of the general galactic scum, though, didn't belong to any particular faction, and tended to be referred to as simply "pirates", although they weren't all really evil or greedy, as some were more the Robin Hood type, and they tended to have their own peculiar sense of honor.

Sharra made a copy of the recording from her optic systems and transferred it to a datapad, then watched her companion and what she was doing for a little while.

"Mind if I play?" she asked between one simulated battle and the next. "I could add another ship, or take over gunnery if you like." An odd form of socialization, but one she was willing to indulge.

"Sure," Zillah said, not really much picky about which. Zillah had been doing a pretty fair job of holding her own against these odds, although admittedly the AI difficulty wasn't set to amazingly skilled pilots.

Sharra smiled, settling back and folding her arms, letting the neural link connect her to the simulation as it would in a real battle aboard this ship.

"Alright, you get to keep us alive," Sharra said, "I'll shoot at anything that moves."

The difficulty could stay where it was for now, she chuckled inwardly, content to do something with the child that would lend a better grasp of each other.

Zillah clearly enjoyed flying, and moved with lightning-quick responses as the enemy ships flew in to assault them, darting about and dodging and weaving around between them so that they couldn't get a clear shot.

Maybe this ship wasn't the best choice for her, Sharra thought, pondering another possibility with a quiet grin. The only way she could see the girl enjoying flying more was if she'd been born with wings... it was a joy to see. She approached her own part of it with a bit more deliberation and cold calculation, just as she would in combat. Not to say that she couldn't get royally pissed and lose it, but those times were rare.

They ended up absolutely murderizing the simulated ships, destroying over twenty of them by themselves, many of those the more dangerous Darknovas as well.

"Well done," Sharra murmured encouragingly. "You've got real talent, pup. Give it a little more practice and a better ship, you'll be the terror of the space lanes."

Zillah smiled, and said, "I do hope so... those Urians are bad news..."

"They're like any other vermin," Sharra replied. "Just have to find the right poison to get rid of them with. Just a matter of time, you'll see."

Not... exactly true, as there were cults that had survived thousands of years back in the three galaxies, and just when you thought they were truly gone they'd spring back up and cause trouble again. No sense dwelling on the pessimistic, though.

Zillah gave a slight nod and said, "I hope so. They've been around for at least a thousand years already... but if they end up having to go into hiding again, so much the better."

"True enough," Sharra agreed. "From what I've been reading on them they don't seem like very nice people, certainly beyond the scope of what I'd consider 'law-abiding'. Have to wonder what's stirred them up specifically, though, that's never a good sign when cultists decide to come pouring boldly out of the woodwork. These Nameless Ones? Something else? Hmm."

"I don't know what that crazy sister of mine might have told them to set them off so," Zillah said, sighing.

"Well, whatever it is, just have to see that it doesn't get out of hand," Sharra replied. "The best time to deal with a problem is before it turns into a crisis, after that it tends to be pretty messy. Hopefully your father will be able to gather some help on his end, or we can do it on this one so we can avoid that."

Zillah nodded in agreement, and looked over to her and said, "How was it you were working the controls?"

"Neural interface," Sharra replied, grinning. "One of the little toys I had installed along the way. The Three Galaxies uses neural controls a great deal for vehicles ranging from mopeds to planetary assault craft, it makes things a lot faster and cleaner, fewer distractions when reflexes are a must."

Zillah looked over to her and cocked her head curiously. "How does it work?" she wondered.

Sharra crooked a finger at Zillah and gestured her nearer, "I'll show you, if you're not squeamish anyway..." She quirked a brow in teasing question.

Zillah giggled a bit at the joke and went over toward her. "Show me."

"Brave pup," Sharra chuckled softly, then leaned forward to bring her head down to Zillah's level so she could see as claws extended and then sliced neatly through the fur at the back of the neck and then upward to create a flap. "Don't worry, it'll heal quickly when I set it back in place," she murmured, then drew the flap back to reveal the gleaming smooth metal of the skull beneath. "I've got heavy armor all over, but it's particular dense here... could say I have a thick skull," she joked lightly.

The metal flowed suddenly like liquid away to open a dark cavity lit only by flickering twinkles of light. A harsher light flicked on at a mental command, revealing the brain itself, encased in a clear, hardened crystal construct, wires and tubing passing into and out of it from numerous directions.

"Look at the surface, do you see the replaced sections?" she asked, the area clear enough with attention drawn to it. "Some of that's dedicated to data storage and retrieval, some to additional processing power, but there's a section that should look like it has little needles sticking out of it... that's the neural link itself, the needles are antennae for transmission and reception."

Zillah watched in fascination, saying, "Oooh. Kind of like the ones the Cybions use, for the cybernet and all?"

"I don't know," Sharra replies honestly.

She allowed the metal to flow back into place and returned the flap to its normal state so that it could re-seal. She didn't have quite the same sensations before, as something like that would have caused _extreme_ pain before her conversion, but she definitely recognized the signals _as_ pain, though dimmed. She sits back up, tossing her head once.

"I've never dealt with this cybernet," Sharra continued, "Though from what you've said I probably could access it without any real difficulty. They've had similar networks for a long time elsewhere."

"I've got it turned off right no -- it drives me nuts -- but the implants are all still there, of course," Zillah said.

"Hmm," Sharra murmured, thinking about that. "Well why don't you turn it on and see if it works in a similar way?"

She explained the frequencies that the neural link uses, a number of them in sequential order which allow for the equivalent of a high traffic connection. Zillah did as instructed, but proceeded to keep the annoying chat channels firmly in the off position. It took her a few minutes to manage the right frequencies and try to gain access.

Sharra, more familiar with the process, reconnected to the computer and monitored for signs of success. She had little doubt it would be achieved, just as she was quite certain she could access this cybernet as well now that she'd considered it.

"There, I think I've got it," Zillah said shortly, giving a faint grin as she poked faintly at it.

Sharra examined it, examining the traffic data carefully, and smiled. "Well done again. I think you have something else to practice with now. Doesn't that make you ecstatic that you asked?" She grinned.

Zillah giggled, and didn't really particularly mind at all, quite enthusiastic about actually learning things. She set about to practicing with that for the remainder of the return journey.

Sharra watched her at it, pointing additional possibilities and potentials along the way as Zillah worked. The system was really very flexible, and secure enough as it required the same codes to gain access to it as the rest of the ship. The ability would serve her well, Sharra knew. Besides, there was just something delightful about the energy she applied when something new was found.

Some hours later, they arrived back on the edge of Imperial space and dropped out of hyperspace, and must make the brief remainder of the journey by jumpgates. Zillah proceeded to navigate their way through the jumpgate network and back to Toronto.

"Let's hope we have better luck gaining assistance from the Empire than your father would think likely," Sharra remarked.

She was still studying the information he'd given her regarding the Urians in the area. It was entirely too convenient that they were forcing the most effective forces to spread out -- a trap worthy of what she'd gathered of the Urians' normal cunning.

It was daytime when they arrived on Toronto, and they were granted permission to land without question once their identity was ascertained. "I hope so," Zillah agreed, heading for the hatch once she had landed.

"That's a good sign at least," Sharra chuckled, "We're clearly welcome." She headed off the ship, sealed it behind them, and continued onward to the office across from the palace. She wasn't going to presume they were _that_ welcome.

The secretary on duty today appeared to be an anthropomorphic pink poodle. Once she got their names, she said into the comm, "Zillah Jordan wishing to see the Empress." Moments later, the reply came to send them right in.

"You've got a magic touch, pup," Sharra teased, chuckling as she headed back across to the palace.

Inside the palace lobby, a guard proceeded to lead them to the dining hall where the Empress was having lunch. "The Empress wishes you to join her for lunch," he said. Also in the dining hall were Anderos Velarh, two generals, and the heads of the planetary governments of Terra and Primus.

Sharra gestured Zillah forward with a grin. "Go on, pup, it'll do you good and catch up on your intake for the day... save some energy on the poor, over-worked replicator." She chuckled and moved to stand by the table, looking to Talia. "Thank you for your gracious hospitality once again, Empress."

Zillah gave a bit of a bow and took a seat politely and proceeded to eat.

Talia said, "I'm glad you could join us." She gave some brief introductions as to who exactly was at the table.

The Primus leader was about to make some protest about a thirteen year old girl eating with them, until he heard that it was the granddaughter of the famous Kalli May, and welcomed her.

Sharra examined each in turn, quite a powerful assembly of persons for this meal. Fortunate as well, she mused, the subject one which would likely be of some interest to all of those present... but it would wait until the meal had finished, such a small time would make no difference. She didn't miss the momentary outrage on the man's face and chuckled inwardly, stepping away from the table for now.

Most of them seemed to be assuming that she was some sort of bodyguard for the war hero's granddaughter and paid her no mind. While they ate, they chatted about how the reconstruction efforts were going, how they thought they've eliminated all corrupt presences on their respective planets, and such. One of them politely asked how Zillah's studies were going.

Sharra didn't mind being ignored, in fact cultivating the image for now as it allowed her to listen without any other distractions. The quelling of the various sectors could prove a boon indeed, once their information was brought to light... they certainly couldn't cry that they had more pressing and dire problems to deal with!

Talia was certain to warn them firmly not to go around executing people they suspected of having been associated with Chaos without any evidence that they were still doing bad things. After all, she said, not everyone who followed Chaos was completely willing, and some of them were happy enough to see it gone, or at least content to mostly abide by the laws.

Sharra couldn't agree more with Talia on that, remembering a sector that had been at war with another and losing slowly... in order for their military commanders to redirect attention from themselves they'd started a witch hunt for 'traitors'. The death toll was in the hundreds of thousands by the time the Quattoria had been sent in to assassinate the ones responsible for crimes against sentient life.

"Of course, of course, we would _never_ execute an innocent person!" the president of Primus insisted.

They finished up their meal and some servants came through to clear away empty plates, and brought out a dessert cart.

Sharra couldn't help but smirk at that expression of innocence, thinking that that one would be one to keep an eye on for abuses of power... she was quite glad that job isn't hers! She didn't have to see Zillah's face to imagine the expression of delight at the arrival of dessert. Sugar was always a delicacy, especially when artfully presented. She performed a sensory analysis on the treats, for practice and amusement.

The desserts were quite high-calorie and fattening, and not poisoned in any way, aside from perhaps putting on weight. "Here you go, young lady," said the servant, passing a bowl with a large banana split over to Zillah. Zillah proceeded to dig in happily.

She had expected no less, and would be frankly astonished if the Empress hadn't had her staff vetted and everything scanned before being brought out, but it was good to keep in practice nonetheless. She remained quietly attentive while the diners continued toward the inevitable conclusion to their meal, awaiting the proper opportunity to bring business to the fore.

Sharra had remained quiet and attentive throughout the meal, satisfied to be largely dismissed by those who attended even though she was certain that Talia held no such illusions.

As dessert was completed, however, she stepped out of the shadows of bland obscurity to approach the table. "I'm glad to hear that things are going so well, and that peace is restored, because there's a problem that you may want to take a look at."

She tilted her head respectfully to the empress and laid the datapad she'd prepared near to hand. "I'll give you a minute to look over that before saying much, Empress," she said, "For the rest of the august personages present, I'll give a teaser... the Urians are on the move."

The president of Primus snorted softly and said, "The Urians? Smoke and mirrors. Superstition and hand-waving. They have no real power!"

Talia gave him a Look, and glanced over the datapad with a frown.

"Perhaps at one time," Sharra replied, "But something's changed recently, and it has the Death Dancers spread thinly all across the fringe worlds, as reported by Abram Jordan. Apparently they're not the only ones crawling out of the woodwork either, other related factions dredging up some sort of power from the Nameless Ones and turning it to their advantage. Considering the efficient nature of the Death Dancers, I wouldn't dismiss it so lightly, nor overlook the possibility that the enemy's intentions may be to thin coverage out to a point where they won't have to worry about punching through when a major offensive is launched."

One of the generals said, "Yes, it may well be an issue, especially if they have gained any abilities similar to those wielded by the forces of Chaos against us. However, the Empire itself has little influence in the fringe worlds still..."

"An opportunity might exist to extend that influence," Sharra replied. "The general opinion was that the Empire wouldn't be interested in the problem, or be willing to lend aid... proving that assumption wrong could garner a great deal of goodwill in those sectors. Politics isn't my responsibility, though," she grinned, "Thank the old gods for that!"

The other general said, "We may not be able to send a fleet, but there _is_ something we _can_ send..." He looked questioningly to Talia, who nodded in approval. He continued, "The stealth cruiser Twilight Guardian is available and ready for action."

"I'm sure any help will be of great value," Sharra said, "They were also looking into other avenues when I spoke to them, so who knows what that may bring to light." She really didn't have anything more to add beyond what she'd already said and the data she'd delivered, so she nodded to Talia again, "Empress," then stepped back away from the table.

Talia handed the datapad to the general on her right and said, "Authorize immediate launch of the Twilight Guardian to the Tibet system." She stood and gave a nod to those present, and headed out, followed closely by Anderos.

Sharra walked to stand behind Zillah's chair, leaning over to murmur, "Anything you want to do while we're back here, little one? Looks like that's about all we can do on this side, have to see what else turns up when we get back to Tibet."

Zillah shrugged. "I dunno." She stood up and stretched a bit. The important people proceeded to filed out of the room and make preparations.

"Well then," Sharra chuckled, "Let's get out of here and back into space, leave the politicians to their work." She looked around with exaggerated caution, then added quietly, "Frankly, that sort of thing is enough to make my hackles stand on end."

Zillah giggled, and headed out for the landing platform.

Sharra headed off as well, waiting till they'd left the palace before saying, "There's a difference between knowing how something works, being able to deal with it, and trusting the thing. Politics is like a multi-headed beast, sometimes you can predict and go along with it, but eventually it's going to turn and bite you." She knew that one all too well...

Zillah returned to the landing platform and climbed into the ship and proceeded to head off. Back out of Imperial space and into the fringe worlds again...


End file.
